


Ooarai Love Beneath a Serenity Moon

by awriterfandf



Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [49]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29127195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterfandf/pseuds/awriterfandf
Summary: Miho and the girls of Anglerfish team join the Sailor Senshi at Makoto's house for an intimate holiday with their boyfriends.This addition to my Sailor Moon / Girls und Panzer crossover series takes place immediately following 'For Love and Honor'.
Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095488





	1. After the Duel

**Ooarai Love Beneath a Serenity Moon**

. . . . .

Miho and the girls of Anglerfish team join the Sailor Senshi at Makoto's house for an intimate holiday with their boyfriends. This addition to my Sailor Moon / Girls und Panzer crossover series takes place immediately following 'For Love and Honor'.

. . . . .

**Chapter 1: After the Duel**

"I thought we'd have a little more time together, but our school ship is leaving port in less than two hours, my love." Yusei sighed, "Who knows when we'll be able to meet again. I'll miss you so much." He added, "At least losing the match to Maho means you won't have to worry about changing schools anymore."

"Hai. It does." The girl in his arms held her boy more tightly, reluctant to release her embrace and let him go. "You'll always be with me in my heart, my darling. No matter where we are." Miho's lips met Yusei's in a deliciously long, lingering kiss. "Take good care of yourself for me, ok? Promise you will."

"I will" Yusei nodded, his voice soft and thick with emotion. Hearing a large vehicle approach, the boy sighed, "Oh. Here comes our bus." The younger Ikeda brother added with a shy smile, "Have a safe trip back to your ship, my sweet. I'd really like it if you'd text or call me when you get there, if it's no trouble."

"Absolutely, my Yusei. I love you."

The city transit vehicle pulled up and stopped across the street from Miho's parental home. She watched her boyfriend and his four male friends climb aboard, waving goodbye to Miho and the other girls from window seats as the bus pulled away.

Miho waved back at Yusei and blew her boyfriend a kiss. After the bus had disappeared in Kumamoto City's afternoon traffic, she wiped a tear from her cheek before turning to her friends, smiling bravely though her heart already ached to be with her young man again. "Minna, let's get back to Nagasaki. I'll return the rental car and we can maybe meet up with my team for a nice relaxing dinner on the Zuikaku later tonight."

Minako walked over to the brown-haired girl. "Cheer up, Miho-san. You'll see your guy again a lot sooner than you think!"

"Hontou? I hope so."

"Hai! I'm sure you will!" the bubbly blonde insisted. "Future Usagi will make it happen, just like we said she would!" She offered with a giggle, "You know, if you're not feeling up to it, I'll take over the driving for you and we'll be back in Nagasaki in no time flat!"

"Either there or in a hospital with the insane way she always drives" Makoto muttered to Rei.

"Please do, Minako-san" Miho agreed. "I'm not much in the mood for driving at the moment. All I can think of now is my Yusei." She smiled, "When he held me close in his arms, I even forgot about the exciting duel we just finished. At least that part of my day had a happy ending."

The five girls crossed the street and climbed into the rental car, and Minako quickly drove off. "I really shouldn't single out anyone from Luna team, because everyone performed so brilliantly in Maho's Tiger" Miho spoke. "But I do need to thank you again, Ami-san. That last incredible shot you made turned my sister's near-certain defeat into victory just when she needed it most. When Maho and I _both_ needed it" she added in deep gratitude. "Domo arigatou."

The blue-haired girl sitting behind her smiled shyly and modestly replied, "I was just trying to do my best for you and Maho, Miho-san. I'm so glad I could help."

Miho giggled, "I should tell you that when I said goodbye to my mother earlier, she asked me if you and all the other Luna team members would consider enrolling at Kuromorimine, Ami-san. You impressed her greatly today."

"I think I can speak for everyone on my team when I say there's absolutely no chance of that happening, Miho-san" Makoto chuckled. "Ooarai has become like a second home to us and we'll be happy to stay there as long and visit you as often as you want us to."

"I was hoping to hear that, Makoto-san!" her friend smiled. "And I hope you can keep visiting us as frequently as you possibly can. It just wouldn't be the same at Ooarai without my team's dearest friends with us." She pointed, "There's the highway ramp we need to take, Minako-san. Let's get home fast."

 _"Fast,_ you say?" Minako grinned. "I'll be more than happy to follow _that_ order, Commander Nishizumi! Just make it official and I'll squeeze the _life_ out of this little car!"

"Oh! Hai!" Miho giggled. _"Driver, Panzer vor!"_

"I _love_ hearing that!" The blonde raced the rental car onto the entrance ramp and soon had it zipping along the southbound expressway as fast as it could go. "Minna, I really like how the expressway speed limits are so much higher in this dimension! I wish it was like that back home."

"As if you ever paid any attention to something as mundane as speed limits" Rei smirked from the rear seat. "I'm surprised you even bother to read the signs, Minako-chan."

"Of course I read them, silly! I read them, and then I ignore them! But now it's time to talk about something important!" she announced. "We need to plan a big victory party to celebrate Miho's loss today!"

"It sounds really strange to hear it described that way!" Miho laughed. "You know, I'm sure Usagi and my Anglerfish team are thinking the exact same thing. It makes me feel wonderfully happy to be cared about so much by everyone."

. . . . .

Several hours later...

"What's keeping that odango-atama?" Rei grumbled as she stood waiting amid a cluster of teenage girls outside a restaurant atop the Zuikaku. "Usagi would be late to her own funeral!"

"It certainly isn't like her to be tardy to dinner of all things" Ami agreed with a soft giggle. "I don't think this has ever happened before."

"Minna, here she comes!" Yukari spoke, spying the approaching blonde hurrying towards them. "And she's running really fast!"

Usagi scurried up to the group, resting a hand on Makoto's shoulder for support and gasping audibly when she reached her friends. "Gomen!" she wheezed. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"We've been standing here forever, baka" Rei muttered as the girls proceeded into the restaurant. "What on earth kept you?"

"I'll tell you after I sit down. I need to catch my breath first."

"And eat something with a million calories to get your energy back after running here, no doubt. You should consider exercising more often, Usagi-chan."

"Hush up, Rei-chan! I exercise plenty!"

"At least your mouth does."

" _Ohh! Be nice!"_

After the teens went inside they were soon escorted to the large table in what had quickly become their usual private room. Usagi snatched up her glass of water as soon as the waitress had finished pouring it, downing it all in a single long gulp. "Ahh! That's much better!" She waited until everyone on both teams had ordered their meals and the waitress had left the room before announcing, "Minna, the big event is nearly here! When I went back to my apartment to freshen up, I found another letter from future me sitting on my study desk."

"Oh?" the miko snickered. "Did you eat it?"

Usagi scowled back, "Not funny, Rei-chan!"

"Is it regarding us returning home to our dimension, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, unable to suppress a giggle at Rei's latest tease.

"Hai, and a lot more than that" Usagi told the girls. "We'll be going home tonight, as a matter of fact."

"So soon, Usagi-san?" Hana frowned in disappointment. "We were hoping you'd be staying with us much longer on this visit."

"That isn't the important part, Hana-san. You and your team will be coming with us!"

"Sugoi!" Miho cheered as the faces of the other Anglerfish girls gained bright smiles. "I assume we'll be staying at Makoto's house again, Usagi-san?"

"Hai! And there's even more to tell you. It was a long letter this time so it took me a while to read it."

"Well? What else did it say?" Rei prodded the blonde. "Or are you going to make everyone sit here in suspense for an hour while you devour everything on the menu first?"

"Hush up, Miserable-chan! It said that after the first day we're together, even more special guests will arrive at Mako-chan's place the very next night." She grinned at Miho's team, "Minna, it's happening! Your boyfriends will be joining you there for a whole week! _All five of them!"_

 _"_ That's great!" Makoto smiled as chorus of gasps filled the private room.

"I'll be with my Yusei again in a day or two?" Miho exclaimed with delight. "For an entire _week?_ _That's so wonderful!"_

Minako was beside herself with joy. " _Yes! Oh yes!"_ She rubbed her hands together gleefully, cackling "The next part of my master plan is about to begin!" She giggled at the stunned teens, "Is everyone ready for... Phase Three?"

"I certainly am, Minako-sensei!" Yukari briskly nodded, her face beaming. "A whole week with my Ryoto! And not just _with_ him, but... _Wahoo! I'm so excited!"_

"I am too" Mako murmured. "This is something I've been hoping for ever since you first suggested it was possible, Minako-san. I'm definitely ready for my relationship with Toshiro to advance to the next stage."

Saori and Hana looked at each other and both girls giggled. "As are we, Minako-san!" Saori spoke. "I'm looking forward to this so much that I don't think I'll sleep a wink tonight!"

The bubbly blonde laughed, "If things go the way I know they will, none of you will be sleeping much any night next week either!" She winked, "If you know what I mean!"

. . . . .


	2. A Promise Fulfilled

**Chapter 2: A Promise Fulfilled**

Late that night...

Too excited to sleep, Nishizumi Miho lay upon her bed, still wearing her school uniform and holding her cell phone. She gazed at a picture of her and Yusei she had taken the last evening they had dated when he had invited her out to dinner. "I love you, Ikeda Yusei. We'll be together again sooner than you think!" Glancing at the time on her bedside clock, she sighed happily, forced herself to set the phone down and close her eyes. 'Usagi told me I'm not supposed to be awake when her future self does her wonderful magic' she mused. 'I need to think of something really boring to help me fall asleep. But what?'

The brown-haired teen recalled Rei's advice and tried counting imaginary sheep jumping over a fence, but the image in her mind soon changed to that of Tiger tanks leaping one by one across a ditch just as Maho's tank had done in the duel earlier that day. "This isn't working!" Miho giggled, then settled on counting Boko bears instead. Somewhere after the ninety-third bear she lost count and slumber finally overtook the sixteen-year-old girl, the dimly-lit apartment she inhabited on the Zuikaku gradually fading to black.

. . . . .

"Nishizumi-dono! It's time to wake up! We're here!"

"Uh... nani?" Miho heard herself murmur, her eyes still tightly closed.

"Hai!" Yukari's voice blurted. "We're back at Makoto-san's house in the other dimension!"

The Anglerfish commander's eyelids sprung wide open and she sat up, finding herself and her team once again perched upon tatami mats on the old house's living room floor. "Oh! We _are_ here! It's truly incredible how Usagi is able to do that!"

"She must become a super-powerful Queen when she gets older!" her loader remarked. "Saori, any luck with Mako?"

"I'm still trying, but you know how she is." Saori continued tugging at the thin sheet that tightly covered her childhood friend's petite body. "Mako-san, get up! We're back in Nerima!"

The Anglerfish driver stirred ever so slightly. "Is my Toshiro here yet?" she asked in a barely-audible murmur.

"No, not yet. He and our other boys are supposed to arrive tonight, remember?"

"Then ten more minutes..." the semi-conscious girl murmured again, pulling the sheet tightly over her head. "Or... maybe an hour... hai, that would be so much better..."

"Don't cover your face like that, Mako! You'll suffocate!"

Hana felt something on her mat brushing against one of her legs and reached beneath her sheet to retrieve it. "Minna, this time I have my purse with me." She zipped it open and peered inside. "I have my driver's license and apartment key with me, and... nani? What looks like a whole lot of money! I wonder where _that_ came from?"

"Future Usagi thinks of everything!" Miho giggled, locating her purse and checking inside it as well. "Mine has my license too, my apartment key and my cigarettes and... you're right, Hana! There's a _ton_ of cash in it! There has to be at least sixty thousand yen in there. Maybe even more!"

"There is?" Saori quickly found hers and opened it. "Mine has my apartment key, driver's license, the container for my contacts, my glasses and... wow! So much money!"

"We're all rich!" Yukari laughed after opening her uniquely camouflage-patterned purse. "Well, maybe not millionaire rich, but there's plenty of yen in mine to buy my Ryoto a present and treat him to some nice restaurant dinners this week!" The curly-haired girl giggled, "It's too bad Usagi didn't send my bugle along with me. That would wake Mako up real fast! Just like it did when I blew it inside our Panzer during our last match!"

"Hai! It sounded extra loud that day!" Miho laughed. "Even louder than our gun!"

"Don't you dare even _think_ of doing that again, Yukari" Mako muttered from beneath her bedsheet. "I despise that noisy thing."

Miho noticed that the sofa where Usagi had slept when they were last here was vacant. She glanced at the clock on the living room wall, illuminated by a rising sun in the east. "It's nearly eight a.m.. I wonder if Luna team is still asleep upstairs?" She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps from the kitchen and smiled happily at the sight of Tsukino Usagi strolling into the living room, wearing a pink dressing gown and munching on a gigantic sandwich. "Ohayou, Usagi-san!"

"Ohayou Miho-san! Hi minna! Good!" the blonde grinned. "Everyone's finally wide awake. Except for Mako, but that's ok."

"Well... we can't expect miracles!" Yukari laughed.

"I heard that, Yukari."

"Sumimasen, Mako-san!"

Usagi walked over to the large sofa and plopped down on it, taking another bite of her morning snack. "The other girls are upstairs with their guys. I don't dare go up and wake them, in case they're... you know..." she snickered. "In case they're _studying!"_

"Studying their lessons at this early hour, Usagi-san?" Hana puzzled.

"That word doesn't mean what you think it does, Hana-san" the blonde grinned. "Not around here!"

"I think I know what you're referring to, Usagi-san" Miho spoke, her cheeks beginning to redden. The teens next heard a door open somewhere on the second floor and Makoto and Yuji soon appeared at the top of the stairs, the two young lovers smiling contentedly at each other and holding hands.

"Hi, minna!" Yuji greeted the new arrivals. "It's great to have everyone back with us again!"

"Ohayou!" the brunette beside him welcomed them. "We thought you'd have arrived by now. Yuji and I would've gotten up sooner, but... um..."

"You were studying!" Yukari giggled.

The teenage couple both blushed. " _Usagi-chan!_ Is that what you told our friends we were doing?" Makoto scolded her. "They'll think we're as sex-crazed as Minako and Taro are!"

Usagi swallowed another bite of the rapidly disappearing sandwich. "Was I wrong, Mako-chan?"

"Nani? Uh... let me make everyone some coffee, or... ah... something." The couple hurried down and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

"I wasn't wrong" Usagi snickered. "Anyway, after everyone else joins us, we'll start by talking about what we've planned for your first day over one of Mako-chan's yummy breakfasts. Then we'll do a little shopping in town."

"Everyone has their purses, and they have a lot of cash inside them" Saori spoke. "Do you know why, Usagi-san?"

"That was mentioned in the letter I found from my future self, Saori-san. I forgot to tell you that part when we were at the restaurant yesterday. It said you're supposed to use some of the money to buy new clothes and shoes. You know, in case your boyfriends take you out to a fancy dinner or two while you're here. We certainly can't have you wearing your school fuku all week."

"Your future self really _did_ think of everything, Usagi-san" Miho replied appreciatively. "Arigatou!"

"Hai, I did, didn't I? I must become a genuine genius like Ami when I get older!"

"A genius? Ha!" Rei scoffed from the second floor. "That's stretching your imagination a little, odango-atama. A lot, actually."

"Shut up, Rei-chan! Good morning, Yuuichirou-chan."

"And a very good morning to you and our wonderful friends of Anglerfish team" Rei's fiancee grinned, escorting his girl down to the ground floor. "Maybe now we'll find out the real reason why you and our girls were at Kuromorimine's home base near Kumamoto City, Miho-san, and you were battling your sister in those two huge Tigers. I'm very sorry you lost, by the way."

Rei whirled around to stare in shock at her guy. "And how, pray tell, did you know about _that_ , Yuuichirou-chan?"

Yuuichirou's face instantly turned ghostly pale. "Oh oh!" he grimaced. "I forgot I wasn't supposed to say anything. Setsuna is going to be really upset at me if she finds out. Minna, forget I mentioned it!"

"No chance, lover boy!" Rei exclaimed. "After everyone wakes up, I demand you tell us how you knew about the duel! It certainly wasn't televised!"

"My goose is cooked" her fiancee sighed.

"Mmm! Cooked goose!"

"Usagi-chan, will you please stop thinking about food every minute of the day?" Rei groaned while the visitors from Ooarai giggled at Usagi's unening appetite.

"Hush up, you! Let me finish my sandwich in peace before we have breakfast together!"

"Completely hopeless, as usual."

Usagi stuck out her tongue at the miko. "Nyaa! I am not hopeless... _Rude-chan!"_

Ami and Ryo were next to appear, greeting their friends warmly as they hurried downstairs. "It sounded like Minako and Taro are awake, so they should be down in a few more minutes" the blue-haired girl told the group.

"I highly doubt it" Rei scoffed. But much to the raven-haired girl's surprise, the last couple came sprinting down the curved staircase a few moments later, with Taro fumbling with the last button on his shirt and Minako still fastening the red bow in her long blonde hair.

"Hi hi!" Minako grinned. "Everyone's safely here! Excellent! Minna, guess what? After we have breakfast, we're going shopping!"

"Your third favorite thing in the world" Rei teased the excited blonde.

"One hundred percent correct, Rei-chan! We're going to help you and your team pick out some nice new clothes, Miho-san. Hmm... I think we should start with something sleek and sexy to dazzle your boyfriends with. Hai, I know just the thing! Glamorous evening gowns for everyone! And then something more cute but casual for wearing around the house."

"Leave the fashion suggestions to me, minna" Rei cautioned the Ooarai girls. "Otherwise, if you take Minako's advice, everyone will end up wearing bright orange and looking like traffic cones or neon signs in Akihabara."

"Hmph! And what's wrong with that, Rei-chan?" Minako pouted.

" _Everything_ is wrong with that, baka!"

"Well! It's now obvious that I know way more about this important subject than you do, isn't it?" the blonde miffed.

"Minako-chan, you have all the fashion sense of a sack of rice!"

"You're all so funny when you tease each other!" Miho giggled. "I love it!"

. . . . .


	3. Shopping Spree

**Chapter 3: Shopping Spree**

As the teens took seats around the dining table, Rei eyed a strangely-shaped metallic box sitting on the floor in one corner of the room. "What's that thing, lover? Is it something you guys made while we were away?"

Yuuichirou and Taro exchanged worried glances. "Uh... it belongs to Setsuna, Rei darling. She left it here until she can find a place to safely store it in her Tokyo apartment, so it won't be stolen if her home is ever burglarized."

"Oh? What does it do?"

"We... uh... we can't tell you" the Shinto apprentice murmured, averting his gaze from his inquisitive fiancee.

"Hai. It's kind of a secret, Rei-chan" Taro added.

"Nani?" Minako waggled an admonishing finger at her young man. "There'll be no silly secrets between us, honey muffin! I insist you tell me what it is this very instant!"

"I _can't_ , my sweet! Honest! Setsuna made us promise not to-"

" _She isn't here now, is she?"_ Minako hissed at him. She softened her tone, smiling sweetly at the boy. "If you tell me, I promise not to say anything, sugar love. Not a single word, I swear!"

"Good luck with _that_ promise, Taro-chan" Rei snickered. "If you tell her anything, it'll probably be all over the evening news tonight."

Yuji had entered the dining room carrying a large tray of steaming noodle-filled bowls. Thinking fast, he spoke, " _That_ funny thing? It's a... it's just a radio, minna.."

"Hai! One of those newfangled high-tech radios!" Yuuichirou nodded. "That's all it is. Nothing to see here, sweetheart."

Rei peered at her guy. "Then why didn't you say so before?"

"Uh... because... I didn't?" he grinned sheepishly.

Usagi left her chair and walked over to the device. "As Luna team's official and highly-experienced radio operator, I'll switch it on and find a good station for us to listen to. I'm sure Setsuna won't mind if we enjoy a little soft music with our morning meal." Before anyone could stop her, she lifted the cover from the unit and stared at the exposed device beneath. "Ohh! So many colorful buttons! Saori-san, help me figure out how to work this thing. It looks really complicated!"

"Whatever you do, don't let Minako touch it. She'll blow it up" Rei muttered. "I speak from experience."

Ami also found herself deeply intrigued by the strange equipment's unusual appearance. "Minna, are you quite certain that's what it is? It looks nothing like any radio _I've_ ever seen before."

"It's definitely not like the radios we have in our Panzers, Ami-san" Saori agreed. "Or the stereo in my apartment either. I don't have the slightest idea how to operate it, Usagi-san."

"It can't be that hard to use" Usagi decided. "After all, it's just a dumb radio."

" _No!"_ Taro gasped as Usagi stooped down and extended a finger toward the device's control panel. "Please don't touch it, Usagi-chan! We'll all be in big trouble if you-"

His plea came too late, as the curious blonde impulsively jabbed at a random button, then quickly pressed several more. "This crazy thing must be broken!" the blonde muttered. "It won't even turn on! I hope it came with a warranty. Setsuna should return it to the store and ask for her money back!"

She grabbed the device's covering shroud and was about to replace it when the teens heard a male speak from it in English, "I recognize that voice. Good morning, Tsukino Usagi!"

 _"Ahh! It knows my name!"_ Startled by the disembodied utterance, Usagi dropped the strange instrument's cover and leapt away from it, bumping hard into the back of Rei's chair.

"Ow! _Do you mind?"_ the miko sputtered.

Ryo sprang from his seat, snatched up the cover and hastily reinstalled it.

Ami peered questioningly at the love of her life. "My Ryo-kun? Why are you behaving so oddly this morning? And how was that supposed 'radio' able to address Usagi by name? There must be much more to it than you're letting on."

"Ami my darling, as Setsuna is so fond of telling us, some things are best left unsaid, at least for the moment. If she should visit us today you can ask her all about it. Minna, let's have breakfast."

"Hai! It's time to eat!" Yuuichirou added with a vigorous nod. "I'm really famished this morning!"

"You're hiding something, Kumada Yuuichirou" his girl muttered, her indigo eyes fixed suspiciously on her nervous fiancee. "Something important. You've got that guilty look on your face again."

"Who, _me?"_ the boy grinned sheepishly.

Makoto entered the dining room with another tray of food and quickly spotted the alien device. "Minna, what's _that_ weird-looking thing? It wasn't here when we left for Ooarai last week."

"We aren't supposed to know about it, Mako-chan" Rei grumbled. "But apparently it's some kind of radio and belongs to Setsuna." She glared at Yuuichirou. "Fine. Don't tell us. Mark my words, we'll find out what it _really_ is sooner or later."

"Much later, I hope" the Shinto apprentice gulped. "When I'm not here to have Setsuna yell at me and my big mouth."

. . . . .

In a massive, heavily-armed spacecraft orbiting far above the planet's suface, the vessel's captain noted the abrupt loss of signal and grinned at the otherworldly being seated to his right. He chuckled, "I think Usagi just hung up on me!"

. . . . .

Ten teenage girls emerged from Nerima's only upscale ladies clothing store several hours later, carrying an assortment of boxes and bags. "Miho-san, you and your team are going to look simply stunning in those gowns!" Minako spoke. "I can't wait to watch your boyfriends' reactions when they see you in them!"

"I've never owned anything this nice before, Minako-sensei" Yukari smiled happily. "I hope my Ryoto likes the way I look in mine."

"Trust me, he'll love it! Now we need to find everyone appropriate footwear to go with them. Minna, next stop... a shoe store!"

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you Minako-chan?" Makoto chuckled.

"Hai! I was born to shop, Mako-chan! And drive my Panzer, and make sweet, passionate love-love with my honey muffin! That last thing is what I love doing most of all!"

"Enough with that one-track mind of yours!" Rei grumbled. "Let's leave the clothes in the trunk of my car so we aren't carrying them around with us all day."

The girls offloaded their packages in Rei's Mercedes and strolled on to their next stop. "Minna, we'll be looking for matching pumps next" Minako told the Ooarai girls. "I'm picturing something sexy with at least a two or three-inch stiletto heel. Or maybe a three-and a-half-inch for Mako, since her boyfriend is tall like my Taro. And probably like him in other fun ways too!" She giggled at the Anglerfish driver. "You lucky girl!"

"I definitely am very lucky in that regard, Minako-san" Mako innocently smiled back, not yet realizing what her friend had implied.

"I've never worn high heels before" Yukari fretted. "What if I can't walk in them?"

"I'll teach you how, Yukari-san. It isn't difficult at all, and you'll soon be strutting into a fancy restaurant with your guy in sheer elegance! You'll turn every head in the room!"

" _I'll_ show you, Yukari-san" Rei insisted. "Minako's so-called lesson will probably have you staggering around like you have two broken legs."

Minako glared at the miko with as much righteous indignation as she could muster. _"I beg your pardon, Rei-chan!_ My Sailor Senshi uniform includes high heels and I can walk and even _fight_ in them just fine, thank you very much!"

"Great. Yukari will be all set if she has to battle a youma" Makoto grinned. "Maybe she'll find one having dinner with Beryl's ghost in the restaurant."

"Don't _you_ start too, Mako-chan!" the blonde flustered.

"Yukari has a good point, minna" Miho said. "I've never worn those kind of shoes before either."

"Relax, Miho-san" Usagi grinned. "I can do it, so you can too!"

"Oh really?" Rei scowled. "Are you forgetting that resort trip we took last year, Usagi-chan? The one where _you_ bought heels and stumbled so badly in them you knocked my nice new Nikon camera into that stream? And lost all the pictures I'd taken along with it?"

"I thought you forgot about that" the odango-haired girl mumbled.

"I haven't. And I'm still waiting for you to replace the camera like you promised you would, by the way."

"I will... someday" Usagi vowed. "Those cameras are really expensive, Rei-chan! I'm not made of money, you know! Stop reminding me about my little accident and let's go look at shoes!"

"I'll never live to see that day" Rei sighed. "My poor Nikon... gone forever."

. . . . .


	4. Important Preparations

**Chapter 4: Important Preparations**

Rei gave the curly-haired girl near her an encouraging smile, watching Yukari and the other Ooarai teens practice walking around the living room in their new shoes. "That's how to do it, Yukari-san. When it comes to wearing heels, you're a natural!"

"I feel so much taller in these!" Yukari exclaimed. "And really feminine too! How about you, Nishizumi-dono?"

"I think I've got the hang of it, Yukari. It isn't quite as difficult as I... _ahh!"_ Miho suddenly lost her balance as she pivoted away from the coffee table and collapsed onto the sofa. "I _thought_ I had it" she giggled. "But I obviously need a little more practice."

The other three female guests were faring much better, with Hana in particular displaying a surprising amount of poise and control as she tried out her new stiletto pumps. She stepped gracefully across the room to the old piano and paused to admire the model resting upon the faded varnish covering its top board. "Your fiancees really did a wonderful job putting this Panzer kit together. And you mentioned that Haruka painted on the Luna emblems and Ooarai school crests, Makoto-san? They're absolutely perfect! It's hard to believe she did them freehand."

"She's a very talented girl, Hana-san. As if being a powerful Sailor Senshi wasn't enough, Tenou Haruka also happens to be a performing concert pianist and she even races sports cars in her spare time."

"Hontou? That's very impressive!" the Anglerfish gunner exclaimed. "The only activity I can come close to calling a skill is flower arranging" she sighed, then smiled, "I feel rather inadequate compared to someone like her!"

Miho had clambered back onto her feet and made her way over to her close friend. "Flower arranging is a beautiful art form that needs a lot of talent to be as good at it as you are, Hana. And aren't you forgetting your other special skill? You and Ami are the two most accurate gunners we have at Ooarai, and I'm convinced you're both the very best among every Sensha-do team I've ever faced."

"Arigatou gozamaisu, Miho" Hana blushed at the well-deserved compliment. "It's said that a person can only truly excel at something if they enjoy doing it, and I definitely enjoy being your gunner."

"Tank gunnery _is_ a most challenging and satisfying experience" Ami agreed. "Not to mention..." she giggled, "it's quite fun!"

"That must explain Minako's antics in the bedroom, Hana-san" Makoto chuckled. "Every night she and her fiancee stay here, when Taro staggers downstairs in the morning he looks like he's just run a marathon."

"That's because he has, Mako-chan!" Minako swooned. "A marathon of _love-love!"_

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Rei groaned. "Don't encourage her to say anything else about _that_ topic, Mako-chan. Minako is a lost cause already."

"You're just jealous!" the blonde tittered at the miko. "And for very good reason!"

"Nani? I certainly am _not_ jealous _,_ Minako-chan! _I_ know how to thoroughly enjoy my intimate nights of passion with Yuuichirou just as much as you do with..." Rei's face suddenly blushed bright red. "I can't believe I just said that in front of everyone."

"You did" Usagi chortled from the sofa. "We all heard you! _He he!"_

"Shut up, Usagi-chan. Go eat something."

"I'm not hungry at the moment."

Every girl in the room stared at the blonde. "Are you feeling ok, Usagi-chan?" Makoto snickered. "Did that big shopping trip we just finished make you ill?"

"I'm saving my appetite for dinnertime, because I'm sure you'll make something extra special for our friends' first day here. Uh... when are you going to start cooking, Mako-chan?"

"I'll get busy in the kitchen when our guys come back, after they finish filling in that big hole we blasted in the field when we fired our Panzer's gun at the target they made. They promised they'd rake over the deepest of our tank's track marks too. It shouldn't take them too much longer."

"You're walking quite well in your heels too, Mako-san" Ami told the Anglerfish driver as the girl stepped past her. "I believe you've completely mastered it."

"You really think so?" Mako murmured. "It isn't as tricky as I thought it would be."

"Hai, you have!" Minako bubbled. "You know, personally I _love_ wearing heels. They always make me feel even more elegant and sophisticated than I usually am, which is a lot!" She ignored Rei's faint groan and continued, "They're fun to wear when I'm dancing with my tall, sexy honey muffin, and especially when I drive, too. They help me position my right foot at the perfect angle to comfortably keep my car's gas pedal pushed flat to the floor for as long as I want!"

"Which in your case is every second you possibly can" Rei muttered. "Speed limits and other traffic be damned. You maniac!"

"You don't need any help from different shoes to do that, Minako-chan" Makoto grinned at her future sister-in-law. "But on the bright side, all that time you've spent torturing your poor car is probably why you're so wild and crazy-fast when you drive our tank. And that's one time your fast driving actually comes in handy."

"Of course it does!" the blonde laughed. "You know my motto, Mako-chan. When in doubt, floor it! Hmm..." she pondered. "Minna, I wonder what it would be like to drive my Panzer in heels?"

Rei glared at her in disbelief. "Tell me you're joking."

"Not at all, Rei-chan! I'll definitely have to experiment with it next time we're at Ooarai and practicing Sensha-do!"

Ami teased her friend, "Perhaps you should, Minako-chan. I believe I read somewhere that high heels are what all the most successful Panzer drivers wore in combat during the last world war."

The other teens laughed at the bizarre image they now imagined. "Good one, Ami-chan!" Rei grinned. "I couldn't have said it better myself. High heels in a tank!" she scoffed. "What's next, Minako-chan? Are you going to start our next skirmish in full evening attire, with a flowing gown and long white gloves? Maybe a pearl necklace too? I'd almost pay to see that."

"I certainly would!" Miho giggled. "Um... Usagi-san, did that last letter your future self wrote to you say exactly when our boys will arrive? I miss my Yusei so much."

"It did, Miho-san. They'll turn up sometime in the middle of the night. So you won't actually see them again until you wake up tomorrow morning."

"You'll all be sleeping in our bedrooms upstairs tonight, minna" Minako added. "Your guys will appear down here on the living room floor, the same way you did this morning. Luna team will be returning to Tokyo later this evening and won't be here when you meet the guys because we have school tomorrow. We'll come see you again the very instant our classes are over." She giggled, "Don't worry, we won't hang around too long. You'll have too many other fun plans in mind for your boyfriends!"

"This is so exciting!" Yukari enthused. "I bet my Ryoto will be speechless when he wakes up here at the house for the first time! Nishizumi-dono, did your boyfriend tell the other guys they were coming to this dimension?"

"Usagi didn't want me to mention it, Yukari. My Yusei will be surprised too. And he told me the other guys didn't believe him when he described his first brief visit here, so our boyfriends will be in for the shock of their lives!"

"That isn't the only thing they'll be in for!" Minako winked at the happy Ooarai girls. "Minna, I asked you this before but I'll ask again, just in case. Is everyone prepared for an intimate week of pleasure with your lover boys? For... Phase Three?

The five Anglerfish girls enthusiastically answered as one voice. " _Definitely!"_

"I am _so_ ready!" Saori exclaimed. "But... there is one important thing I need to ask. Shouldn't we take precautions? You know, when we... uh..."

"I'm glad you reminded me about that, Saori-san" Usagi replied. "Give me a minute to find my brooch and we'll see if my special powers do what I think they can. Ami-chan, would you mind bringing your Mercury computer down from your room?"

"Hai!" Ami scurried upstairs and soon returned with the small device. "The special program I wrote for this occasion is quite accurate, minna. It will tell us if you're fully protected against... unanticipated pregnancies."

Usagi stood in the center of the living room, her Senshi brooch now grasped in her right hand. "I think I should henshin first. I have better control over my brooch's powers that way. Miho-san, please have your crew form a line in front of me."

"Hai! Anglerfish team, line up!"

The girls promptly did so, with Mako murmuring, "Will we notice anything different about ourselves after you do this, Usagi-san?"

"You shouldn't feel a thing, Mako-san" Earth's future Queen Serenity reassured her. "Here we go! _Moon Prism Power, Make-up!"_

The teens from Ooarai were once again awe-struck by the astonishing sight before their eyes, as Tsukino Usagi's entire body suddenly became enveloped in a blinding flash of light. Her regular clothing dissolved, replaced in an instant by the glittering uniform of her warrior persona, a blue and white Senshi fuku with red bow and boots and a gleaming gold tiara across her forehead.

"That's step one" Sailor Moon smiled. "And now for step two. This is the really important part!" She next held the brooch at arm's length, sweeping it slowly along her friends after she had commanded, " _Moon Protection Activation!"_

A bright golden glow issued from the powerful piece of ancient lunar jewellery, enveloping each of the Ooarai girls in turn for several seconds. After it had ceased, Sailor Moon gestured to her blue-haired friend, "That should do it, Ami-chan. Let's find out if it worked. I hope it did!"

"Hai. I'm activating my program now." Ami pointed her Mercury computer first at Miho, then the other teens in turn as she carefully studied the jewel-like device's tiny screen.

"Minna, the experiment was a complete success!" she exclaimed happily. "Our friends now have the very same protective field within them that we carry, Sailor Moon. They have absolutely no chance of becoming pregnant until the powers you gave them eventually wear off."

"Sugoi!" Miho smiled happily. "Um... how long will this protection last, Ami-san?"

Ami examined her computer's screen again. "According to these readings, you and your team will remain this way for an absolute minimum of ninety-three days, Miho-san. After that time, you will need to undergo the same procedure once more if you wish to remain protected. Please don't be concerned about any possible side-effects, it isn't permanent or harmful to you in any way."

"And it's a whole lot better than the silly old-fashioned way of staying safe!" Minako giggled. "Arigatou, Sailor Moon! Excellent work!"

"I'd like to think so, Minako-chan!" Sailor Moon grinned. Her henshin faded to reveal her ordinary schoolgirl self standing before the Ooarai teens. "There! Now you can stop worrying about anything family-related, minna. Just... uh... try to have lots of fun!" she giggled.

"Hai! Just like Rei does with _her_ lover boy! Or so we heard!" Minako cackled, grinning at the miko and watching with immense satisfaction as a renewed blush appeared on Rei's cheeks.

"You're never going to forget I said that, are you?" Rei muttered.

"No! Never! After all the teasing you've done to me lately, now it's _my_ turn! The shoe is finally on the other hand, Rei-chan!"

"Shoe?" Makoto groaned. " _Hand?"_ The tall brunette slowly shook her head. "Minako-chan, it never ceases to amaze me how you can twist even the most common of sayings into complete and utter nonsense."

"Something else I'm an expert at!" the blonde laughed.

. . . . .


	5. Caught in the Act

**Chapter 5: Caught in the Act**

Evening arrived in Nerima, bringing with it darkening skies filled with heavy grey storm clouds. Sheltered beneath the changing weather in Makoto's old house, five honored female guests from Ooarai Girls Academy relaxed on the large leather sofa after enjoying a most delightful dinner. They were comfortably seated across from Makoto's team and their fiancees, who were scattered around the living room on its polished hardwood floor.

Laying sprawled on her back in front of the fireplace, the teens heard Usagi utter a soft moan of discomfort. "Ohh! I can hardly move! And now my tummy hurts! I think I ate too much!"

"Business as usual" Rei snickered at her fiancee. "Usagi still has absolutely no control over that ludicrous appetite of hers."

"Quiet, Rei-chan! Mako-chan, your food tastes _too_ good!" Usagi groaned. "It's not _my_ fault I keep stuffing myself!"

"Then next time you only get a bowl of plain rice, Usagi-chan" the brunette grinned. "That's all. And no coffee either, just a glass of water."

"Nani? Am I in _prison_ now?" The blonde sighed, "I'd rather have tea than coffee anyway. But I finished the last of mine days ago! Miho-san, we should have another match against St. Gloriana and win more fancy English tea from Darjeeling."

"I'll see what I can arrange, Usagi-san!" the giggling Anglerfish commander promised, reaching into her purse to retrieve her cigarettes and pink lighter.

"Usagi-chan, that's enough talk about that silly tea!" Minako blurted, edging closer to the coffee table. "Because it's that time again! Time for me to tell our friends about more really important boyfriend stuff!"

"Um... perhaps you should wait until after Minako has finished her little chat before you smoke, Miho-san" Ami suggested. "You may really need a cigarette later if she delves very much further into... Phase Three." The blue-haired girl murmured to herself, "I'm quite sure I will."

"We'll _all_ need one" Rei muttered to the other girls.

"An excellent idea, Ami-san!" Miho agreed, placing her pack on the table. "I'll wait... just in case."

"Oh oh!" Taro chuckled. "Does this mean us guys have to hide upstairs again, my sweet? We could pass the time playing poker, but I think my brother cheats."

"I do not!" Yuji snickered. "You're just completely hopeless at cards, Indiana!"

"No, you can all stay down here with us this time, sugar dumpling. _This_ chat won't be too personal." Minako dropped her car keys onto the center of the coffee table. "First, I'll be leaving my car here this week for everyone to use, Miho-san. You or the other girls may want to go into town to shop or something, or maybe you'd like to take turns giving your lover boys a romantic personal tour around the beautiful countryside here. So, minna, feel free to use it as often as you want. And have lots of fun driving it, just like I always do when I drive my Panzer. Don't be gentle with the gas pedal, because _I_ never am! Beat my car's engine like a lazy mule!"

"Hai! We certainly will, Minako-san!" Miho giggled. "Giving us a place to stay with our boyfriends, enjoying Makoto's incredibly delicious meals, and even letting us borrow your car all week! Arigatou, minna!" She smiled happily, "We really appreciate such kind and thoughtful gestures. You're treating us like royalty!"

"That's so very generous of you" Hana echoed her commander. "Arigatou!"

"Think nothing of it. It's what good friends are for" the blonde smiled warmly back. "Now that I think about it, if your guys show up with extra money from future Usagi in their wallets, you should drive them into town so they can pick out some nice dinner jackets and ties to go with your elegant new gowns. They certainly can't be expected to dine out with you in their school uniforms. That would be _dreadfully_ unfashionable!"

"I agree with you about that point, Minako-chan. But don't forget, they'll need matching pants as well" Rei reminded her.

"Hai! Pants!" Minako nodded. "That's kind of important too! I don't think any of the restaurants in Nerima would appreciate your boyfriends turning up in their underwear!" She giggled and quickly raised an index finger, "And while we're on _that_ subject-"

"Here we go again" Makoto groaned. "Yet _another_ Phase Three lecture, Minako-chan? Haven't you covered that subject to death already?"

"Hush, Mako-chan! I was just going to say-"

The blonde was interrupted by a chime from the doorbell. "Now who could _that_ be?"

Yuuichirou slipped his arm from Rei's waist and reluctantly clambered to his feet. "I'll answer it. If it's Setsuna, and she thinks I told you about her radio, I'll be running straight out the back door and not stopping until I'm _very_ far away! Good night, minna! See you in a week!"

"I may be running right behind you, Yuuichirou-chan" Taro grinned. "I don't want to get yelled at either! At least Mamoru had a good excuse not to be here with us tonight."

"Hai! That stupid university again!" Usagi scowled. "So many classes and tests and endless dumb assignments! Always ruining my cuddle time with my Mamo-chan!"

The bell rang again and the apprentice hurried to answer the door. "Heh. Konbanwa, Setsuna-san. Hi, Haruka-san. Uh... lovely evening, isn't it?"

"It's currently raining, Yuuichirou-chan. May we come in?"

"It is? Oh! It is! Hai! Please do."

Meiou Setsuna and Tenou Haruka entered the house, slipped out of their shoes and strode into the living room. "Konbanwa, minna. It's wonderful to have you and your team with us again, Miho-san! My Time Gate revealed that you had recently arrived here."

"Ohayou!" Miho greeted them with a bright smile that was even more cheerful than usual. "If you both return tomorrow, you can finally meet our boyfriends in person!"

"Oh? They're coming here too?"

"Hai! Future Usagi is bringing them to live here with us! _For a whole week!_ " Yukari told the two older girls. "They're arriving sometime late tonight. Isn't that _fantastic?"_

"I have no doubt that it will be" Setsuna replied tongue-in-cheek. "Thank you for informing me about this, Yukari-san. Knowing this now will certainly simplify my task this evening."

Usagi turned her head towards the young lady. "Simplify what task, Setsuna-san?"

"I need to... place a call, shall we say. To relay some important information to... an old friend."

"You came all the way out here to use Mako-chan's telephone?" Usagi exclaimed. "Don't you have a phone in your apartment in Tokyo?"

"It isn't that kind of call, Usagi-chan. And before you ask, that's all I intend to say regarding the matter."

"Ohh! There you go, being all mysterious and confusing again!" the odango-haired girl muttered. "I _hate_ it when you act like that. Which is way too often, if you ask me!"

Setsuna turned to ask the male fidgeting uneasily beside her, "Yuuichirou-chan, do they know?"

Yuuichirou briefly eyed the hallway leading to the kitchen and accompanying back door. "Uh... not exactly. I mean, they _saw_ it, Setsuna-san, and Usagi fiddled with it for a minute before we could stop her, but we didn't tell them what it really is."

Rei gave her nervous fiancee a suspicious glare. "This _is_ about that weird radio thing in the dining room, isn't it?"

"Uh... could be, my love" the boy answered with a nervous chuckle. "Or maybe not! It's... kinda complicated."

Usagi sat up and propped herself against the cold fireplace. "I'll say it's complicated! I tried to make the stupid thing play music, but it wouldn't, and then it _talked_ to me! It even knew my _name_ , Setsuna-san! Where on earth did you find that creepy gadget?"

"Give me a few minutes alone with it. Then I'll decide whether or not it's appropriate to divulge any further information tonight." The tall greenish-haired girl stepped into the dining room and firmly closed the door behind her.

After waiting a few seconds, Minako scrambled to her feet and bolted into the kitchen, soon returning with a large empty drinking glass. " _I'll_ find out what's going on around here! I hate people keeping secrets from everyone! Especially sneaky Setsuna!"

"Minako-chan, that's awfully rude!" Ami objected. "Setsuna's conversation could perhaps be pertaining to something quite personal."

"I'll stop listening if it is" the blonde promised before tip-toeing slowly up to the dining room door. Minako turned to the teens and placed a finger to her lips. "Minna, _sshhh!"_

 _"_ It appears Minako has performed this type of clandestine operation before" Haruka chuckled.

"She definitely has, Haruka-san" Makoto grinned up at the taller girl. "The last time I saw her do it was back when I took possession of the house. Minako and I were sitting in the master bedroom that first night and she wanted to hear what was going on in the room beside ours, so she-"

Ami's pretty face abruptly flushed crimson, as did her fiancee's. " _That's my Ryo-kun's and my bedroom!_ Mako-chan, are you implying that Minako actually listened to us while we were...? _Oh_ _my goodness!"_

"I said _ssshhhhh!"_ the blonde hissed from beside the door. "No more noisy chattering!"

"Minako sounds like a snake!" Usagi chortled. "At least I think that's the noise a snake is supposed to make."

"Minako-chan, my fiancee and I need to have a word with you regarding this terrible invasion of our personal privacy!" Ami sternly demanded while indignantly folding her arms.

Minako waved her free hand dismissively at the deeply embarrassed young couple. "Sure, sure. We'll talk about that later, ok? Let me do this first." She gently held the open mouth of the glass up to the door and pressed an ear snugly against the opposite end, uttering a soft devilish giggle.

An instant later, the door flew wide open.

" _Ahhh!"_ the blonde gasped, still clutching the incriminating glass which she hastily whipped behind her back.

" _Well?"_ Setsuna frowned disapprovingly down at her. "Explain yourself, Minako-chan."

"I... just... wanted... to... uh... to find out if you got your fancy new radio-phone-thingy working! You know, so we can all enjoy a little relaxing after-dinner music!"

"That's the lamest excuse I've _ever_ heard!" Rei laughed. "You were caught red-handed, Minako-chan. Don't bother trying to worm your way out of it this time."

"Hai" Minako giggled, her face red. "I guess I was. Sumimasen, Setsuna-san!"

"Give me that." Still frowning, Setsuna took the glass from the younger girl and closed the door, then immediately reopened it. "Please don't do it again."

"I won't! I promise!"

"Good." The door shut yet again, this time with a loud slam.

"Serves you right!" Ami scolded the red-faced blonde while wearing an uncharacteristic smirk.

"I don't understand what just happened" Minako muttered. "I must be losing my touch!"

. . . . .


	6. Nightfall in Nerima

**Chapter 6: Nightfall in Nerima**

"I knew it!" Usagi grumbled, trudging back into the living room after Haruka and Setsuna had driven away in Michiru's gold Lexus. "Setsuna left without explaining anything! She was even worse than usual this time! There should be a law against her keeping so many secrets from her future Queen!"

"I must admit I'm also somewhat disappointed by her evasiveness regarding that mysterious device, Usagi-chan" Ami agreed. "But she did promise she would reveal the true nature of it to us at a later date, so we do have that to look forward to."

"Enough about that silly radio gizmo thingie!" Minako told the teens. "We'll be leaving for Tokyo soon, and we're wasting precious time that I can use to talk to Miho and her team about what will happen tomorrow night! After all, this is Love-love Eve!"

"Nani?" Rei muttered. "Is everyone supposed to yell Happy Love-love at the stroke of midnight tomorrow?"

"If they're weren't so busy celebrating the big event with their boyfriends, that wouldn't be a bad idea, Rei-chan!" Minako grinned. "Anyway, where was I? Hai! My talk!"

"And here we go" Makoto snickered. "I knew Minako wouldn't disappoint. Miho-san, if you start feeling warm again, the living room's big window is sealed but I can open the front door for some cool air. Or I have a paper fan you can use."

"I'll let you know if I need it, Makoto-san" Miho answered with a nervous smile, wondering where Minako's latest lecture would lead this evening.

"It isn't what you're thinking, Mako-chan" the teenage reincarnation of Princess Venus said. "I just wanted to tell Miho and her team that the most important thing they will share with their boyfriends this week isn't the passion and ecstacy of being intimate together. It's so much more than that. I could tell from the very first day they met their guys that all the ingredients of wonderful life-long relationships were there. The love and desire, definitely! But the honesty and caring and the deep respect they have for one another inside their hearts was so very plain to see too. That's how I knew our friends had found their true soulmates."

"This isn't what I was expecting" Rei remarked in surprise. "Go on, Minako-chan."

"Hai. Please continue, Minako-sensei" Yukari urged, listening intently.

Minako addressed the Ooarai students, "Minna, it takes all those things for a girl and a boy to fully experience what love in its purest form really, truly is. And because you and your guys already have them, when you finally do surrender your all to one another, you'll realize just how much your boyfriends really do love and cherish you. And how much you love them. The intimacy and physical pleasure you'll enjoy all week is just the tip of the ice cube."

'Ice _berg_ , Minako-chan" Ami murmured.

"Ok, that too! But what I'm trying to say is that... you've reached the stage where you _need_ your boys, minna. You need them in your heart and in your life, to love you and comfort you and be there to support you through good times and bad. And they need you for all the very same reasons. When your relationships with them become complete tomorrow night, when close friends finally become lovers, that's just the last piece of the puzzle falling into place. All of the other pieces are already there."

Her audience listened with rapt attention as Minako continued, "Relish and treasure every moment you're together with the boys you love, minna. Every smile, every tender kiss, every soft caress and whispered word you share. Because it's all coming straight from the heart. There's no better feeling in life than to be loved like that."

Minako sat back, nestling comfortably into her Taro's gentle embrace. "That's it. I'm finished. No long lecture about the joys of love-love tonight. I just wanted to remind you about the really important stuff. The things that matter most of all."

"That was a really moving and thoughtful thing to say, Minako-chan" Usagi smiled. "It describes exactly how I feel about my Mamo-chan."

"Hai' Makoto told her future sister-in-law, "It has to be the most sensible advice about what true love is I've ever heard you give."

"See, minna? I don't always have the sex-crazed one-track mind everyone thinks I do!"

"No, not always" Rei grudgingly admitted. "Just ninety-nine percent of the time, Minako-chan."

"Well... ninety-nine-point-nine percent to be really accurate!" Minako giggled. "And since you brought it up, Rei-chan, I've changed my mind! Taro-love, you and the guys go back upstairs again!"

"Do we have to, darling?"

"Hai, you do! Shoo, love-muffin! I can't let this day end without giving Miho and the girls one last little pep talk about Phase Three!" She smiled at the Ooarai teens, "And hold on tight, minna, because I've been saving the best for last! Which is coming up now!"

"You _have?"_ Miho gasped. "There's even _more_ we should know _,_ Minako-san?"

"There can't possibly be" Mako murmured.

"Of course there is!" Minako giggled. She glanced around the room. "Hmm... now where did I leave my cigarettes?"

"Somehow I knew Minako couldn't make it through the evening without another lecture" Makoto muttered. She gave her fiancee a soft peck on his cheek before he stood up. "Have fun beating Taro at cards, Yuji honey. This may take a while."

. . . . .

With the hour growing late, Usagi and her companions bid a temporary farewell to the girls from Ooarai. "Remember to stay upstairs until after the sun comes up in the morning, minna. Your boyfriends will probably be confused and disoriented when they wake up here, but Yusei has done it before. He'll explain to them where they are, and this time they'll _have_ to believe him!"

"Confused and disoriented, Usagi-chan? Doesn't that usually describe your typical day at school?"

 _"Be quiet, Rude-chan!_ Oh... by the way, can I have a ride back home with you? Your back seat is more comfortable than the one in Ami's car."

The miko sighed. "I suppose. But no eating in my Mercedes! I still haven't gotten all the crumbs out of the carpet from the last horrific mess you made!"

"Fine!" Usagi muttered. "I'll just sit there and quietly starve."

"On the subject of food, there's some extra meals still in the refrigerator, Miho-san" Makoto told her guests. "There should be enough for everyone's breakfast. I hid them way at the back so Usagi wouldn't find them."

"Mako-chan! It wasn't very nice of you to do that" Usagi grumbled. "Your yummy food should never be hidden away from your leader and future Queen!"

"Certainly not in a defenseless refrigerator. It should be locked in a bank vault with an armed guard standing in front if _you're_ around" Rei retorted. "Do you expect them to go hungry, or spend the first morning they're with their boyfriends slaving away in the kitchen, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "No I don't, and hush up, Rei-chan!"

"On behalf of my team, I just want to tell everyone again how grateful we are for everything you've done for us." Miho and the Anglerfish girls stood and bowed deeply to their departing friends. "You've made all of us so incredibly happy. From the bottom of my heart, arigatou gozaimasu."

Usagi stopped glaring at Rei and smiled warmly at her friends. "We're just glad we could help, Miho-san. Like Minako said earlier, it's what best friends are for."

"I know how excited everyone is about tomorrow, but try to get a good night's rest" Minako urged the girls. "After all, you won't be alone after tonight until you're back onboard the Zuikaku next week!"

"We'll try, but I'm so worked up about being with my Ryoto again that it'll be really hard to sleep, Minako-sensei!" Yukari exclaimed.

Minako gave the curly-haired teen a sly wink. "Yukari-san, that won't be the _only_ thing that gets hard when you're in bed together! As you'll be _very_ happy to find out tomorrow!"

" _Must_ _you_ , Minako-chan?" Makoto groaned above Yukari's giggling. "If you keep saying personal stuff like that, the girls will be wide awake all night long. Even Mako will be!"

"Gomen nasai!" the blonde grinned.

"There is one other thing we should mention" Rei told their guests. "Mako-chan's house only has four bedrooms, so one couple will have to spend their nights down here on the sofa."

Miho suggested to her crew, "I believe the fairest way to deal with this issue would be for everyone to take turns. Is that ok?"

"Everyone except you, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari insisted. "As Ooarai's Sensha-do Commander, your high rank entitles you to always be the most comfortable and have a proper bed to sleep in every night."

"Hontou? I couldn't..."

"Yukari is right, Miho" Saori agreed with Anglerfish's loader. "The rest of us will take their turn on the sofa. We can draw lots for every other night, but is there anyone who'd like to go first and stay here tonight?"

Mako quickly raised her hand. "I volunteer."

"Only because you'll be alone!" the radio operator laughed. "I know what you're thinking, Mako. If you stay here now, tomorrow you and your guy will have a real bed to sleep in."

"Was it really that obvious?" the diminuitive driver asked with a smile.

"In that case, you can have the master bedroom, Miho-san" Makoto offered. "It's where Yuji and I sleep. Third door on the right. It's the only room with two single beds."

"You have separate beds, Makoto-san? I assumed you'd... um..."

"We only use one of them. The one nearest the door" the brunette grinned, causing Yuji to look away and blush. "It's your choice which bed you want to sleep in."

"Ah. Now I understand!" Miho giggled. "I'm sure we won't need the second bed either, Makoto-san!"

"You and Yusei should pick the bed by the window, Miho-san!" Minako laughed. "It has _way_ less kilometers on it!"

Makoto glared evilly at the blonde. _"Do you mind?"_

"Here's wishing our special friends from beyond our dimension a very restful night, ladies" Yuuichirou spoke. "I probably won't be here tomorrow because I'm supposed to work at the Hikawa Jinja until late in the evening. Rei's grandfather wants to teach me more fun stuff about handling the shrine's finances." He chuckled, "Sounds like I'll be suffering from a severe case of boredom!"

"Don't worry about that, lover" Rei smiled sweetly at Yuuichirou. "You'll be with us too. I'll arrange for Ojii-chan to have extra help to cover for both of us this week, and that bookkeeping lesson can wait until later."

"In that case, I _will_ be seeing you tomorrow!" the apprentice chuckled. "I'm really looking forward to meeting my... uh... clone? Is that the right word?"

"Yosuke does look almost exactly like you, Yuuichirou-san" Saori nodded. "The only noticable difference is that he's slightly younger."

"Hai. Other than that small detail, he's basically your twin, honey" Rei told her fiancee. She gave the Anglerfish radio operator a knowing smile. "Saori-san, if Yosuke really _is_ my Yuuichirou's clone in every physical way, I think it's rather appropriate to quote what Minako said to Mako during our shopping trip."

"Oh? What was that, Rei-san?"

The raven-haired miko's smile grew larger. "You _very_ lucky girl."

"I _am_ very lucky, Rei-" Saori's light-brown eyes suddenly widened. " _Ohh!"_

. . . . .

With just the five Ooarai girls now occupying the old house, Miho poured herself a little more coffee and returned to the living room sofa. She looked on in puzzlement, watching her tank's loader raid the hall closet and return with a broom in her hands. "Yukari, are you planning on sweeping the floor? Makoto's house is already spotless."

"Hai! I want everything to be absolutely perfect when our boys get here, Nishizumi-dono. And I'm also doing this to help myself stay calm! After hearing what Minako said tonight, it's all I can think about!" Yukari began vigorously working the broom from side to side, sweeping at the nonexistant dust while wearing a huge smile.

"I've been thinking of that too" the brown-haired teen admitted with a giggle. "A lot!" Her cheeks began to blush at the recollection of Minako's final nothing-held-back lecture on all things phase-three related. "Every last intimate detail." She impulsively reached for her cigarettes as her radio operator and her gunner walked over and sat on the sofa beside her.

Saori gestured at the opened pack of Mevius 100s Miho held. "Mind if I have one, Miporin?"

"You want one too? Sure! I wasn't aware that you smoke, Saori."

Her friend slipped a cigarette from the offered pack and cradled it between her fingers. "I occasionally do, Miho. Mostly when I'm in the middle of studying for a big test and take a few minutes to unwind. But knowing what my Yosuke and I will be experiencing together _really_ soon, and after realizing what Rei hinted about my boyfriend before she left, I definitely want one tonight!" The ginger-haired girl added, "I need to relax a lot more before bedtime, so I can fall asleep and not lay there dreaming about when Yosuke and I finally... you know..."

"Hai! I know!" Miho giggled, blushing at the thought.

The teens' attention was suddenly drawn to the Kawai upon hearing a soft melodic tune issue from within the old instrument's wooden frame. "Mako, you can play the piano?" Miho exclaimed. "That's another surprise!"

"Not very proficiently, Miho-san" the petite girl murmured a modest reply as her fingers continued keying the song without missing a single note.

"Mako took music lessons for a few months last year" Saori told her commander. "And she was picking it up really fast, too. It's a shame the little old lady who was doing her tutoring got frustrated and gave up on her."

"Nani? Why did she stop giving Mako lessons? She's obviously very talented at it."

"You should've guessed why by now!" Saori laughed. "Because Mako kept falling asleep on the stool!"

. . . . .

Twenty minutes later, before finally turning in for the night, Miho and the other members of Anglerfish team joined Reizei Mako at the piano, joyfully singing along to their Panzer driver's rendition of Ooarai Girls Academy's Sensha-do theme song.

. . . . .


	7. Reunited

**Chapter 7: Reunited**

"Mako, you really don't have to spend tonight on the sofa. You can sleep in the second bed in Makoto's room if you wish" Miho offered. "I won't leave the light on or keep you awake, I promise."

"Arigatou, Miho-san. I appreciate that... if it's no trouble for you."

"None at all!" her Sensha-do commander insisted. After checking that both doors were locked and switching off the last downstairs light, the five girls trooped up the curved staircase to find their rooms. "Minna, let's take Minako's advice and try to get as much rest as we can. We have a very special day ahead of us tomorrow, and our holiday with our boyfriends is just beginning!"

"And our first special night with them too, Miho!" Saori giggled. "I can't wait to call Yosuke my lover! And not just in my imagination, but for _real_ from now on!"

"Hai! Operation Phase Three is about to commence, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari exclaimed with delight. " _Wahoo_ _!"_

"That's a very appropriate way to name our week, Yukari!" Miho chuckled. "I wish I'd thought of it!"

"It'll be even better than participating in a Sensha-do championship match!" the curly-haired girl grinned, randomly choosing the room that Ami and Ryo always used. "Maybe even a hundred times better!"

"That number isn't nearly big enough, Yukari" Mako softly spoke. "I'm thinking... more like a thousand times."

Hana asked, "Miho, how should we welcome our guys in the morning? Would it be best if we all go downstairs together as a group to meet them?"

"I think that's a great idea! Minna, let's do that." Miho thought for a moment. "Let's see... how about we all wear our school uniforms tomorrow, at least for a while? So the situation our boyfriends find themselves in will seem a little more familiar to them. We'll change into the casual clothing we bought later on in the day after they're settled in."

"Hai!" her team nodded.

"And we should wait for Mako to wake up before we go down to the living room, so we make our first appearance to our guys as a complete team."

"This is the first day of my life I can promise not to keep everyone waiting" her driver vowed. "Not if my Toshiro is here."

"Hontou? _Could it be?"_ Saori teased her childhood friend. "Could a boy named Toshiro be the miracle cure for Reizei Mako's low blood pressure?"

"That's a definite possibility" the girl with the white band in her hair smiled. "It will undoubtedly be a far more pleasant reason to awaken tomorrow morning than hearing Yukari's annoying bugle again."

"My bugle isn't _that_ bad, Mako!" Yukari giggled.

"Yes. Yes it is" Mako murmured. "Especially when you blow it inside our Panzer the way you did during our last match."

"Well... it _worked_ , didn't it?"

"Hai. It worked a little too well. I nearly jumped out of my seat."

. . . . .

A last fading rumble of distant thunder awoke Ikeda Yusei from his slumber, as the previous night's rain passed on and blue sunlit skies welcomed the morning above the living room of Kino Makoto's country home. The sixteen-year-old student of the Hōshō Institute for Boys slowly stirred upon his tatami mat. "Must've had a storm last night" he murmured, still feeling groggy.

He allowed his eyelids to part just a little, only to have them open much wider as the stunning realization dawned on him. 'I'm _here_ again! Back at Kino Makoto's house!'

Bolting upright, Yusei quickly gathered his thoughts while confirming his whereabouts. 'Hai, there's the piano! And now it's got what looks like a Panzer IV Ausf.D model sitting on top of it! And there's the stairs to the second floor, and...'

A moment later he spied his older brother and their three close friends still fast asleep nearby on identical mats to his. "We're _all_ here?" he gasped aloud. Twisting his head further left, he peered across the room at the empty sofa where he had first met Taro and Yuji on his prior visit. "And this time we're alone. I wonder what's happening?"

Stunned to find himself fully clothed in his school uniform, he reached over and began rousing the other young males with with a sharp, urgent whisper. "Guys, wake up!" he hissed. "We're not in our cabins on the Hōshō anymore!"

. . . . .

"You honestly weren't pulling our legs or imagining things after all, Yusei!" his older sibling exclaimed while peering around the room in awe. "This living room is exactly the way you described it! _Wow!_ Brother, I'll never doubt you again!"

"That _Tsukino_ girl did this? Luna team's radio operator? And I'm not dreaming it? _This is incredible!"_ Masaru blurted while casting off the thin sheet that covered him and clambering quickly to his stocking-clad feet. "So she really _is_ a... what did you say she is again, Yusei?"

"A Sailor Senshi, Masaru. Hai, everything I told you actually happened, exactly the way I said it did. In the dimension we're in now, Tsukino Usagi becomes Queen of this Earth sometime in the future, and it was her incredible powers that brought us here" Yusei spoke. "I'm still not sure why, though. I definitely wasn't hiding from the Ooarai council members in Miho's closet last night, so that can't be the reason."

The other boys also stood, puzzling over their predicament for a brief time. "Minna, what should we do now?" Ryoto asked.

"Wait to see what happens next, I guess" Yusei suggested. "Maybe Yuji and Taro will show up and tell us what-" But before he could finish his sentence, they heard doors opening somewhere above them on the second floor, accompanied by a chorus of excited female voices.

 _"I can hear girls talking!"_ Yosuke exclaimed. "And one of them has a bright sunny voice that sounds just like my Saori!"

Yusei suddenly remembered something Miho had told him the night he had slept on her kitchen floor. "Minna, I think Usagi brought us here today to visit our girlfriends!" He hesitantly called out, "Uh... Miho my love? Is that you up there?"

"Hai! It's me, my darling! And my entire Anglerfish team is with me too!" The second-year Ooarai student appeared at the top of the staircase along with her four friends, wearing their white and green school fuku and every girl's face aglow with joy.

 _"My Ryoto!"_ Yukari exclaimed. "How I missed you so!"

The girls rushed down the steps together and into their delighted boyfriends' tender embraces.

. . . . .

Ninety minutes later...

"It's still a huge shock to know we're on another planet Earth in a different dimension" Masuru told his girlfriend. "The last thing I remember was laying in bed last night, admiring the beautiful flower arrangement you made for me, Hana. And after I fell asleep, the next thing I knew I woke up here with the guys. And best of all, I can finally be with the girl I'm so madly in love with again! For an entire week!"

"Usagi and Minako have been planning this holiday for everyone for quite some time, my darling" Hana said. "Even so, now that it's happening it still feels like a dream to me too."

"Hai. A wonderful dream." Sitting close together at one end of the sofa, the teenage couple shared a tender, lingering kiss. "And the best part is, this is only the beginning" Masaru softly spoke. "The beginning of our week together and... a whole lifetime we will share."

Yukari strolled into the room, clutching her boyfriend's hand in hers. "The breakfast dishes are all done, Nishizumi-dono."

Miho smiled appreciatively from the other end of the sofa, where she sat with her Yusei's arm snugly around her. "That was fast work, Yukari! Arigatou! But I insist on doing the dishes next time."

Her loader smiled sweetly at the young man close by her side. "My Ryoto was such a big help. That's why it didn't take very long!" Yukari turned to embrace the boy, and they too shared a tender kiss. After their lips had parted, Yukari asked, "Where is everyone else, Nishizumi-dono?"

"Mako and Toshiro just left for a morning walk, and Saori took Yosuke for a scenic drive in Minako's car. They probably won't be back for a little while." Miho suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! I nearly forgot! Yusei honey, when we arrived here we had our purses with us, and a lot of extra money in them from Queen Usagi. Do you guys have your wallets with you?"

Yusei shifted to reach into his rear pants pocket. "Hai! I have mine, and..." He flipped his black leather wallet open. "I have extra money too, sweetheart! Lots of it!"

"Usagi prepared you for your shopping trip too" Miho mused. "We'll be driving you and the guys into Nerima to find you some new clothes, my love. Casual wear, and something else much more fashionable and formal. We'll be dining out in nice restaurants a lot this week!"

"I'm really looking forward to it!" her young man grinned. "But... what about you and the other girls? Will you be shopping for new clothes too?"

"That's already been taken care of." The Anglerfish commander giggled, "I hope you like how we look in our new evening gowns. Mine is pale blue."

"You even have a _gown?_ I can't wait to see how stunningly beautiful you'll look in it!" Yusei exclaimed. "Isn't it great how Usagi planned everything so well about this holiday she arranged for us?"

"Hai. We owe her a debt of gratitude that I don't think we'll ever be able to repay."

"New clothes for the guys and me will come in really handy." Yusei chuckled, "My school uniform will look awfully rumpled after sleeping on the floor in it again tonight. Do you think I should buy a pair of pajamas too?"

Miho and the other two girls giggled as they exchanged knowing glances. "Um... regarding that... Yusei honey, would you happen to remember something I told you about what would occur when we were together again, that night you slept on my kitchen floor? A certain promise I made to you?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Hai, I believe I do remember! You said that the next time we were together overnight, I wouldn't have to sleep on... the..." His love-filled brown eyes quickly widened, his cheeks blushing red as he stammered, _"Hon- Hontou ni?"_

"Hai." Miho coyly smiled at him. "You and your friends won't be needing pajamas, or those tatami mats again. At least not until the week is over."

"So... you're saying I'll be sleeping... _upstairs?_ " The pitch of his voice began to rise. "With... _you_...?"

"Our bedroom is behind the third door on the right, my Yusei."

"And _our_ bedroom is right next to theirs!" Yukari happily informed her shy young man. She muttered, "Unless I lose when we draw lots later and we end up down here on the sofa tonight. I hope not!"

The cute sixteen-year-old boy who appeared remarkably similar to Urawa Ryo gasped in shock. " _Us_ , my love? _Sleeping_ together _? In... a... bed?"_

"Hai!" the curly-haired girl beamed. "And not just sleeping! Well, we probably will fall asleep eventually, but not until after we reach Phase Three!" She giggled, " _Lots_ of times!"

"But... I..." he shyly murmured, "I've never... I don't know how to..."

"Don't worry, my Ryoto. I know exactly what to do!" Yukari reassured her happy but extremely nervous young man. "Because Minako-sensei gave us girls _very_ detailed lectures on the subject! And I memorized nearly everything she said!"

Hana also noticed a blush abruptly appear on the handsome face of her boyfriend. "Masaru my darling..." she spoke to him in a gentle whisper before leaning closer and placing a soft kiss on his reddening cheek. "Welcome to paradise."

. . . . .


	8. Spending Time Together

**Chapter 8: Spending Time Together**

An hour later found four happy teenage couples now relaxing in the living room, where they planned how they would spend their first afternoon together. "Mako, you haven't fallen asleep even one time since you and Toshiro came back from your walk!" Miho exclaimed. "Whatever happened to you?"

The Anglerfish driver smiled lovingly at her boyfriend before replying. "I'm surprised too, Miho-san. I guess that's what being with the boy she loves does to a girl."

"That gives me an idea, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari joked. "All we need to do before we start our future Sensha-do matches is to smuggle Toshiro into our Panzer. Then you won't have to keep waking Mako up every time you want her to start driving!"

"That's really funny, Yukari!" Miho giggled. "But the very idea of boys in tanks, even as stowaways, is just too strange to imagine! Perhaps it would suffice if Mako would settle for a photo of him on the hull in front of her control levers. She could pretend he was with her instead."

"Hai! Like fighter pilots did with pictures of their wives or girlfriends during the last war!" Yukari exclaimed. "In the movies, they always have a picture of their loved one taped to their plane's instrument panel. If _they_ could do it, why not us?"

Hana added her somewhat more cautious opinion to her commander's idea. "I'm not sure if that would work, Miho. Mako may end up staring at the photograph so much, she'd become distracted and drive us into a tree or over a cliff or something."

"Or steer us in front of an enemy tank's loaded gun!" Yukari laughed. "Boom! Match over!"

"That's actually a really good idea" Mako smiled. "Not the driving off a cliff part, the photo I mean. I'd like to do it. With your permission of course, Miho-san."

"Sure! We can at least give it a try. Permission granted, Mako!" Miho added with a giggle, "As long as your boyfriend's photo isn't so big it blocks your viewport!"

"Then... I'd really like to put up a picture of my Ryoto too, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari decided. "I'll stick it on the inside of the turret next to my hatch!"

Yusei chuckled, "Miho my love, if the other members of your team like your idea this much, I think you're going to be riding into your next Sensha-do battle inside a big armored photo album instead of a Panzer IV."

"Probably!" the Anglerfish commander laughed. "We may all become so distracted, we'll never win another skirmish!"

The teens looked up as the front door opened and the last couple soon strolled hand-in-hand into the room. "We're back!" the cheerful ginger-haired girl announced. "Miho, there's a place about fifteen or so kilometers west of here that's really pretty. We found a small lake with a grove of trees around it. There's a nice grassy area beside the water with flowers everywhere, and it was so secluded and peaceful!" Saori pressed her slender body more snugly against her boyfriend, smiling sweetly at him. "The perfect location for a romantic picnic, my Yosuke!"

"Most definitely, my darling" he softly replied before they shared a kiss. "Minna, it's well worth a visit."

"Hontou? When Makoto drops by later, I'll ask her if she has a map of the area" Miho said. "She can mark the spot so we can all easily find it."

"Did you discover any other scenic places during your trip?" Yukari asked the love-struck couple. "I want to take my boyfriend to every one of them!"

Yosuke nodded, "A few more, but it's hard to remember exactly where they all are, Yukari-san. The time flew by so fast." The sixteen-year-old chuckled, "And time wasn't the only thing that flew by. The kilometers did too. My Saori is quite the speedy little driver!"

"I certainly am!" his girl admitted with a playful giggle.

"You obviously took Minako's advice to heart about how we should operate her car, Saori!" Miho giggled.

"I did!" Saori raised her right foot and promptly stamped it back down against the floor. "I was driving her car the way she told us to, Miho, beating on it like a lazy mule! We covered a lot more ground that way, and it was really fun!" She asked the boy standing with his arm around her, "I hope my fast driving didn't scare you too much, my love."

"I kind of expected it" Yosuke grinned. "It was mentioned in the book."

"Oh? What book would you be referring to, Yosuke-san?" Mako inquired.

The other boys all grimaced. " _Yosuke!"_ Yusei gasped. _"_ You aren't supposed to talk about _that_ to girls! It's meant to be kept confidential!"

"Oops! I forgot!"

"This sounds rather interesting!" Intrigued, Miho asked her soulmate, "Please tell us more about this secret book, darling!"

"Looks like you've gone and done it, Yosuke" Ryoto chuckled. "The cat's finally out of the bag. Now we _have_ to tell our girls."

"Hai! Please tell us, Ryoto-koibito!" Yukari urged her young man. "What is this book?"

"Well... it isn't really a full _book_ as such, my sweet. It's more like a very thick pamphlet. They give a copy to every student on the Hōshō when they start their second year."

"What's it about?" the curly-haired girl pressed.

"Um... it's supposed to tell us how a boy should behave if they become lucky enough to have a girlfrend. How to be a proper gentleman, how to dress well, correct dinner etiquette, things like that." He chuckled, "So we guys don't look or act like uncultured idiots in front of our ladies, I guess. It's embarrassing to admit we need the help, and that's why we usually don't mention the book exists."

"And there's also a big chapter in it on how girls are different than boys" Toshiro added.

"Nani? You don't need to read any book to know _that!"_ Saori laughed. "I mean... isn't it obvious?"

"I think I phrased that wrong" Mako's boyfriend chuckled. "It covers behavioural differences, and talks about things girls enjoy doing that boys either don't know as much about, or don't do at all. Like dancing, or smoking. For instance, in the section on driving it said that most teenage girls love to drive fast, just like Saori does. It told us not to be worried because girls are much better drivers than boys are."

"Sounds right to me!" Saori grinned. "And if you think _I'm_ speedy, just wait until your _Mako_ takes you for your first drive together, Toshiro! All I can say is... hold on tight and enjoy your wild ride!"

"That expression could be applied to something else that comes to mind" Miho murmured. Realizing a second later what she had just implied, her face flushed bright red. "Sumimasen! I didn't mean... uh..."

"I think you did, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari chortled. "But that's ok. I was thinking the exact same thing!"

Miho buried her face behind her hands. " _Oh dear!"_

Anglerfish team's driver quickly leapt in to rescue her commander from her embarrassing faux pas. "So, you and your friends are all slow drivers, Toshiro?"

"To be honest, none of us have our licenses or even know how to drive a car yet, Mako my sweet. We're completely at your mercy."

"Hontou?" The girl with the white band in her hair kissed her love's cheek, her low murmur becoming softer and more sultry. "Then I'll try to be gentle with it, my darling. At least... at first."

"I bet you _won't_ be _,_ Mako!" Yukari snickered. "Oh, wait! Were we talking about something else?"

"My, my, what a naughty imagination you have, Akiyama Yukari" Hana giggled. "I'm rather shocked."

Now the team's loader blushed as vividly as her commander had.

" _Sumimasen!"_

. . . . .

A short while later, the couples had nearly wrapped up their afternoon planning session. "So it's decided" Miho announced. "We'll take two of our boyfriends shopping for clothes in Nerima now, and the last three tomorrow afternoon. That way everyone will be ready to dine out tomorrow evening. The last issue is, only two couples can go out to dinner each day, since Minako's car has seats for five. Who'd like to be among the first to take their guys on a night out on the town?"

Seeing every female in the room immediately raise their hand, including herself, Miho giggled, "It seems we're at an impasse. Time to settle it by drawing lots. Saori, do you have the paper strips you made for us to decide on our upcoming sleeping arrangements?"

"Hai! I'll go get them." She hurried upstairs and was back beside her boyfriend moments later. "I made two of them short this time, minna. Good luck!" She passed the thin white strips to her commander, who jumbled them behind her back, leaving just their ends protruding from her closed hand.

Hana went first, tugging a long strip of paper free. "It appears our first dining experience in Nerima will have to wait an extra day, my Masaru" she sighed.

Yukari took her turn, extracting a short strip. " _Wahoo!_ We'll be the first couple, Ryoto-koibito! I'll try to look really elegant for you when you escort me into the restaurant tomorrow evening!"

Her boyfriend's eyes shimmered with love. "I know you'll be stunningly beautiful, my Yukari. Because you already are."

"I _love_ hearing you say things like that to me!" The teens kissed tenderly while the next girl took her turn.

Saori was next in line, pulling out a long strip. " _Ohh!"_ she groaned, pouting her lips. "I didn't win, Yosuke! We have to wait an extra day. Just bad luck!"

Miho giggled, "You sounded an awful lot like Usagi there, Saori! Mako, you're up next."

"Hai." Her Panzer IV's driver pinched the second-last paper between her fingers and slowly slid it free, frowning as its other end took too long to finally appear. "Drat."

Miho opened her hand to reveal the second short piece of paper. "It's going to be you and me taking our guys out first, Yukari" she told her beaming curly-haired friend. "I must remember to ask Makoto and the girls which restaurant in Nerima they recommend as the best, and if they take reservations. It's going to have a lot more business this week!" She glanced up at the wall clock. "Minna, it's time for that shopping trip."

Saori suggested, "You and Yukari are dining out with your guys first, Miporin, so you should both take them shopping today. The rest of us can go tomorrow. Here's the keys to Minako's car."

"Ok! That makes perfect sense." Miho retrieved the offered keys from the ginger-haired girl and she and Yusei stood up. "Find your purse and bring your Ryoto, Yukari. Next stop... Nerima!"

"Hai, Nishizumi-dono! Let's ride!"

. . . . .

As the two couples walked outside, Miho offered the ignition keys to her loader. "Would you like to drive this time?"

"May I? _Arigatou, Nishizumi-dono!"_ Happily accepting the keys, Yukari and Ryoto walked up to the right side of the Toyota. Her boyfriend reached out and politely swung the driver's door open for her.

Ryoto smiled and gestured graciously, "Please be seated, darling."

Yukari giggled as she slipped behind the wheel, "You read that in the book, didn't you?"

"Hai" her young man chuckled. "I did." He closed her door and climbed in on the passenger side. "But I would've done it anyway, my love. I'm always going to treat you like a princess, every way I can think of, and as often as I possibly can. Because... to me... that's what you really and truly are."

" _Hontou?"_

The young couple kissed tenderly, and Yukari breathed a soft sigh of delight after their lips had parted. She murmured, "I don't think you need that book as much as you think you do, my Ryoto."

Yusei did the same for his girlfriend, opening her door for her and soon sitting beside his beloved in the back seat. "What kind of formal wear do have in mind for me, sweetheart?"

"I'm thinking of a three-piece suit and a nice tie, but I'm not sure of the colors yet, honey." Miho clicked her seatbelt on. "We'll have to see what they have available off the rack."

Yukari started the car, excitedly gunning its engine until it screamed. "Minna, is everyone ready?"

"Hai!" she heard her commander giggle from the seat directly behind her. "We're all set. _Panzer Vor!"_

As the sun shone brightly down from a warm, cloudless blue sky, Yukari reversed the compact Toyota onto the deserted country road, and with a screech of tires the little orange hatchback sped off to Nerima like an Ooarai Panzer charging into battle.

. . . . .


	9. Setting the Mood

**Chapter 9: Setting the Mood**

"Minna, we're here! _Mmm!_ Something smells yummy!"

Usagi hurried into the house first, followed by her friends and their fiancees. The blonde had noticed a delicious aroma in the air the instant she had opened the front door. "My nose tells me we're just in time for dinner!"

"Usagi-chan, that food you're sniffing isn't for you" Rei muttered. "It's for our Ooarai friends and their guys. Don't be so greedy!"

Miho stepped over to welcome the new arrivals. "Konnichiwa! Minna, your timing is perfect! Saori and Hana are nearly done in the kitchen, and they've made plenty extra for everyone, Rei-san! I hope you're hungry!" She giggled at Usagi's big smile, "I'm sure someone is."

"Is Usagi ever _not_ hungry?" Rei teased. She ignored the blonde's sour pout and stuck-out tongue. "I see your team's boyfriends have all safely arrived, Miho-san. I'm so happy for you."

The five males stood and bowed deeply to the group, then again to Usagi. "Arigatou gosaimasu, Tsukino-san" Yusei thanked her on behalf of his school friends. "Mere words can not express how grateful we are for your arranging this holiday week for us and our girlfriends!"

"Think nothing of it, Yusei-san. I'm always more than happy to help such wonderful friends" the odango-haired girl smiled. "Not just now, but in the future too." She turned to glare at Rei. "See, Rei-chan? At least someone appreciates me!"

"Every noodle shop and fast-food restaurant in Tokyo appreciates you" the miko retorted. "If it wasn't for your endless appetite, half of them would probably be out of business by now."

" _Ohh! You're just so rude!"_

The five teenage males from Tokyo walked up behind the two bickering girls and stared at the Ooarai boys. "You really do look just like us!" Yuuichirou exclaimed. "It's almost like we're seeing ourselves in a mirror!"

Taro and Toshiro grinned at each other. "Greetings, my twin from another dimension!" Taro chuckled.

"Likewise!" Toshiro laughed.

Minako giggled, "You know what? If Mako had fallen for someone else, I'd have two Taros all to myself!"

Makoto gave her future sister-in-law a blank stare. "Minako-chan, isn't one Taro enough? What on earth would you do with two... on second thought, don't answer that."

Mako murmured from the sofa, "Or I'd have two Toshiros, if the situation were reversed, Minako-san."

"Hey!" Minako stared at her. "Don't go getting any crazy ideas, Mako-san! We'll just have to settle for one each!"

" _Settle?"_ her fiancee grinned. "I suddenly feel somewhat inadequate."

"You know what I meant, sugar dumpling!" Minako giggled again. "I can think of lots of words to describe you, my big strong stud muffin. And inadequate definitely isn't one of them! Silly boy!"

Yuji smirked at his older sibling, "I wonder what those other words are, Indiana?"

His brother blushed, then grinned, "You'll never know, Yuji."

Minako asked their guests, "So how was your first day so far? Everything good?"

"Not just good, Minako-sensei! _Fantastic!"_ Yukari exclaimed, slipping her arms snugly around her Ryoto. "It couldn't be any better!"

"A few more hours and it'll be a _lot_ better, Yukari-san! If you know what I mean!" the blonde winked.

"Hai!" the curly-haired girl and her boyfriend smiled happily. "I can't wait for Ryoto and me to finally put your lessons to good use!"

Rei caught Ami's eye. "Doesn't that sound familiar, Ami-chan? Do you and Ryo have a big _study_ session planned for later tonight too?"

The blue-haired teen murmured, "Um... as a matter of fact..." Ami shyly averted her gaze, smiling happily as she gently squeezed her young lover's hand in hers.

"Say no more!" Rei chuckled.

Hana and Saori appeared from the kitchen and greeted their hosts, both girls wearing aprons over their skirts. "Hi! Dinner's almost ready!" Saori announced. "We tried to keep your kitchen neat and tidy the way you had it, Makoto-san. Thanks for leaving all those extra ingredients for us to use."

"Extra ingredients?" the brunette puzzled. She snickered, "What's here is just the usual stuff, Saori-san. It only looks like lots extra because I have to cook for Usagi so often."

"Ohh, now even Mako-chan is picking on me!" Usagi groaned. "No fair!"

"Tonight's dinner won't be nearly as delicious as yours are, Makoto-san, but we tried our best" Hana said. "And this time, I didn't cut my finger peeling the potatoes!"

Ryo presented the two temporary chefs with a bottle of wine. "We brought this along, just a little something to help set the mood."

"Arigatou, Ryo-san! That's very thoughtful of you. I'll go open it now." Hana gratefully accepted the bottle and returned to the kitchen to locate a corkscrew.

"Second drawer down, under the microwave" Makoto called out. "Did you find it?" She hurried off to assist Anglerfish's gunner while Yuuichirou strolled over to the piano and placed the CD player he carried beside the model Panzer. He then presented Miho with the large plastic bag he held, stuffed to overflowing with compact discs.

"I brought my entire music collection in case you'd like to dance later, Miho-san. There's a good mix of songs in there. I hope you can find something suitable for this very special occasion."

"I'm sure we will!" the Anglerfish commander spoke, gratefully accepting the bag. She peered inside. "I like your taste in music, Yuuichirou-san. There's a ton of songs here that'll be perfect to dance to!"

Ami asked, "Miho-san, do you think it's going to be somewhat crowded in the dining room tonight? I'm not sure if Mako-chan has enough chairs for everyone."

"Do you think we should have dinner in the living room, Ami-san? My team and their guys definitely want to dine together with you, but the only way we'll fit in there together is if the girls all sit in their boyfriends' laps!"

"That'll work!" Minako piped up. "It always works for me and my love muffin!"

"Usagi sitting in Mamoru's lap? While she's _eating?_ _"_ Rei exclaimed. "Poor Mamoru! He'll be wincing in pain from getting elbowed half to death before he's taken his first bite!"

"Fine!" Usagi muttered as Makoto returned with the opened wine. "We'll move the coffee table into the middle of the living room floor and eat there, Nasty-chan! Ok? Are you satisfied now?"

Rei ignored her friend's grumbling and gave Yuuichirou an alluring smile, her indigo eyes twinkling. "Am I satisfied? No, not yet. But I will be later tonight." She purred at her fiancee, " _Supremely_ satisfied, lover. In that extra special way that only you can do."

"Good grief!" Makoto chuckled at the miko's amorous tone. "The house is full of Minakos!"

"So?" Minako giggled. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Mako-chan."

"This is one time it won't be" the brunette admitted with a grin.

. . . . .

As the teens enjoyed cordial conversation over dinner, Minako announced to the visiting couples, "Minna, we'll be leaving about an hour after dinner is over. We won't be back again until the day after tommorow, to give everyone lots of private personal time together. I know you'll make the most of it!"

Saori giggled, "Definitely, Minako-san! Um... Toshiro honey, did that secret book of yours happen to cover... Phase Three?"

Her young man blushed. "It definitely didn't mention anything like _that_ , my love! Just what we told you earlier."

"Book? What book?" Minako asked.

Yusei quickly explained the book's contents to the curious blonde. "That's all it said, Minako-san. Just basic stuff about girls and dating that every guy should know."

"That gives me a great idea!" Minako blurted. "I'll write a new chapter for it! But go into way more detail, just like I do in my famous lectures!"

"Sure, why not?" Makoto grinned at the blonde. "You can title it 'Love-love 101!'"

"I'm sure Ami would be glad to help you write it, Minako-chan" Rei teased the blue-haired girl sitting nearby. "From what I've heard, she could contribute some very interesting suggestions. Isn't that right, Ryo-chan?"

 _"Rei-chan!"_ Ami gasped. "You're embarrasing us!"

"Hai! It's time to put all that _studying_ you two do together down on paper!" Minako laughed. "Maybe _I'll_ even learn something new!"

Miho murmured, "Minna, it's getting rather warm in here again. Makoto-san, do you still have that fan?"

"I'll go get it" the brunette chuckled.

. . . . .

After the dishes had been cleared away, Yuuichirou ambled over to his CD player. "Think we have time for a dance or three with our friends before we go home, Rei darling?"

"Absolutely, lover boy. Play something slow and soft for us."

"Hai, really slow, Yuuichirou-chan" Usagi said. "I'm way too overstuffed from Saori and Hana's yummy dinner to dance to anything fast. I think I overdid it again."

Rei glared at her. "Glutton."

" _Meanie!"_

"Girls, this isn't the time to bicker" Mamoru implored. "Let's end tonight's visit with our friends on a pleasant note, ok?"

"Rei started it, Mamo-chan!"

"Usako."

"Ok... I won't say any more. At least you're here with me tonight, so I don't feel lonely from always missing you so much." She slipped her arms around the boy who was once an Earthly Prince, courting his Moon Princess until that dark, fateful day when their whole world came crashing down. "Kiss me, Mamo-chan."

Their lips met as they stood amid their group of friends, again experiencing the sweet togetherness they once shared so very long ago.

The other couples were also soon holding each other close and swaying together to the gentle rhythm of a romantic ballad. Snuggled in her boyfriend's warm embrace, with her head gently resting on his shoulder, Miho whispered, "Feeling nervous, my Yusei? About... what happens later?"

"A little, darling" he admitted. "But every time I see your sweet smile, and the love in those beautiful eyes... I know I shouldn't be. I love you, Nishizumi Miho. With all my heart."

"And I love you, Ikeda Yusei. Tonight, when we're together in our room, let's allow our hearts to take control and lead us to share... something so very special."

"Hai."

. . . . .

After their second dance had ended, Miho and Yusei joined Yukari and Ryoto on the sofa, sitting a discreet distance away at its opposite end. "Waiting the next song out?" Miho smiled at the other couple.

"Hai! We're pacing ourselves, Nishizumi-dono. We don't want to tire ourselves out by dancing too much before we... go upstairs" her loader giggled.

"That's a good strategy, Yukari" her commander smiled. "We are too."

Miho noticed that her cigarettes and her purse were at opposite ends of the coffee table. She reached toward them, only to have her boyfriend promptly retrieve her pink lighter and click it to life. "Allow me, my sweet."

"I wasn't intending on having one now, darling" the brown-haired girl giggled. "I was just going to put them back in my purse, so I don't forget them. I'll wait until after we have dinner together at the restaurant tomorrow night."

"Oh!" Yusei chuckled, extinguishing the flame. "I guess I'm still feeling a touch nervous about... you know... later."

"To be honest, I'm sure we all are" Miho reassured her young man with a sweet smile. "Lighting a girl's cigarette for her is a very gentlemanly act, my Yusei. Was that mentioned in the book too?"

"Hai. In chapter... five, I think." Yusei regarded the young lady he adored through shimmering, love-struck eyes, "I've still got a lot to learn about being your perfect gentleman, but I promise to improve each and every day."

"You're doing wonderfully already, pampering me the way you are."

"I'm just getting started, my love. The best is yet to come." He took a moment to glance around the living room, watching Usagi and Mamoru slow dance, the odango-haired girl's incredibly long twin trails of blonde hair gently swaying in time to the song's romantic beat. He mused, "Isn't it strange how a terrible tragedy in our friends' past lives lead to us finding each other and falling so deeply in love. It's almost... a miracle."

"Hai. That's exactly what it was, my Yusei. A miracle. Without future Usagi's idea to send her younger self and the Sailor Senshi to visit our dimension, and Minako's help that night at the St. Gloriana shore party, we may never have met."

Yusei reached an arm around his girl and Miho snuggled against him, nestling close beside the boy who had quickly become the center of her universe. She sighed happily, knowing in the depths of her heart that tonight, and the days that followed, was merely the beginning of their journey through life together, as it undoubtedly was for all of the Ooarai girls and their soulmates. A happy life filled with joy and true, boundless love.

. . . . .


	10. Love Conquers All

**Chapter 10: Love Conquers All**

An short time later, the girls from Tokyo said goodbye to their Ooarai friends before leaving the house with their fiancees. "See you in two days, minna!" Minako waved from the hallway. "Remember what I said in my lectures, and don't stay up too late!"

"We won't, Minako-sensei!" Yukari giggled. "Have fun at school tomorrow!"

"As if _that's_ ever going to happen" Usagi grumbled at the thought of morning classes. "Two days of Haruna-sensei and torture and endless boredom is more like it. Why can't Juuban do something _fun_ once in awhile, like starting their own Sensha-do program?" She pushed unpleasant thoughts of school aside and grinned at her close friends from another, much more girl-centric dimension. "Minna, good night and pleasant dreams! If you ever do sleep tonight! _Hehe!"_

After the girls and their guys had left the house and driven away, Yukari locked the front door and hurried back to the sofa, sitting close beside her boyfriend. "Nishizumi-dono, when are we going to decide who has to stay down here tonight?"

"Someone's in a hurry!" her commander giggled. "But I suppose we really should settle that important issue now, Yukari. Saori, do you still have those paper strips we used earlier to plan our shopping trips?"

"Hai, Miporin. I'll leave out one of the short pieces this time." Saori scooped four of them from her purse and passed the strips to Miho who mixed them up and held out her hand.

"Who'd like to try their luck first?" Miho prompted her team. "This sofa is really big and comfortable. It's almost like a bed!"

The other girls all hesitated, until Hana finally reached out and slipped a paper free. "It's a long strip, Masaru!" she exclaimed. "We're going upstairs!"

"Lucky you!" Yukari laughed. "I'll go next. Cross your fingers for luck, Ryoto!"

"Already doing it, my darling."

The Anglerfish loader slid out her strip. "And it's... aww!" the curly-haired girl frowned. "It's the short one. We're on the sofa, my love. Sumimasen."

"That's ok. Any place is fine as long as we're there together, my princess" her boyfriend replied, though he found himself struggling to conceal growing pangs of self-doubt now beginning to cloud his mind.

"Thanks for taking one for the team, Yukari!" Saori laughed. "I knew we could count on you!"

"Don't mention it" the curly-haired girl muttered. "Nishizumi-dono, we need to set up a signal. Something to let everyone else know my Ryoto and I are awake and fully clothed in the morning, so it's ok for you to come downstairs."

"That's a very good point, Yukari. Um... how about that broom you used yesterday?" Miho suggested. "You can lean it against the wall at the top of the stairs and take it down after you're both up. If we see the broom, we won't come down."

"Hai! That should do it! But first, I need to get something from Makoto's linen closet. I'll be right back!"

Yukari hurried up to the second floor and soon returned with several folded blankets. Placing the small pile on an arm of the sofa, she again sat beside her young man, softly kissing his cheek. "Done."

The living room suddenly became ghostly silent but for the teens' breathing and the soft tick of the wall clock. The five teenage males glanced nervously at one another, wondering who would be first to take the big step with their girlfriends.

"Uh... what should we do now?" Toshiro eventually asked. The seventeen-year-old boy was convinced that a thousand butterfiles were now fluttering wildly within his chest.

Mako looked up at the nearby faintly-ticking clock. "It's past ten, darling" she murmured. "Getting late."

"Hai. Ten" Saori repeated. "It'll be bedtime really soon, Yosuke." She stood and asked her boyfriend, "Would you like to dance with me again? Before we... go...?"

"I'd _love_ to, sweetheart! Let me find something romantic for us to dance to." The near-clone of Kumada Yuuichirou walked over to the piano and inserted an appropriate disc in the cd player.

"Minna, let's all dance together" Miho suggested, admitting to herself that her own growing nervousness was making her hesitate. She thought, 'I wonder if our friends felt this way on _their_ first intimate night together?'

The five Ooarai girls held their boyfriends close, slow dancing until the song had ended.

"You dance divinely, sweetheart" Yusei murmured to the brown-haired girl in his embrace. "I wish I could hold you in my arms like this forever, my Miho."

His girlfriend sighed happily. "That would be heaven, Yusei. We _could_ dance a little more, if you'd like to. Or we could just sit and chat. Whatever you'd like."

Yukari suddenly realized that the couples might choose to linger even longer in the living room. Taking the initiative, she quickly strode over to the blankets, unfolded the topmost one and neatly spread it out on the sofa.

"We can't sit there anymore if you make your bed now, Yukari" Miho giggled. "Everything will get all wrinkled!"

"Oh! That's right, Nishizumi-dono!" her loader feigned a gasp. "Then I guess you'll just have to go upstairs if you want to sit down again. After all, like Mako said before we danced, it _is_ getting late."

Surprised by her friend's uncharacteristic forwardness and thankful for Yukari finding a way to break the ice, Miho took her dear friend and Panzer loader's not-so-subtle hint. "Hai" she giggled. "I suppose we will." She grasped her boyfriend's hand in hers, gently squeezing it. "Shall we, my darling?"

Yusei gave his girl a tender smile. "Hai. Our room awaits, my beautiful Miho."

The young soon-to-be lovers climbed the steps hand-in-hand, sharing coy glances at each other until they reached the second floor. Miho turned and smiled down at her team. "Minna... I believe my Yusei and I will be turning in for the night. Oyasumi, minna. We'll see you in the morning." The teens disappeared down the hall to their bedroom, with three other girls quickly following their Sensha-do commander's lead, giggling as they lead their boyfriends upstairs.

After they had gone and the last upstairs door had closed, Yukari sighed happily at her now-blushing boyfriend. "I thought they'd _never_ leave!"

She hurried to collect the broom from its resting place in the hall closet and sprinted up the steps, angling it across the hallway beside the bathroom door. Yukari scurried back down to the boy she so dearly loved, into the tender warmth of her beloved Ryoto's waiting arms.

"Still feeling nervous, my Ryoto? You know, everyone thinks I'm the shy one on the Anglerfish team. And they're right, I almost always am. But not tonight. Not when I'm with you."

She took his hand and began leading him toward the sofa, but stopped when she felt him hesitate. "Ryoto? Is something wrong?"

"Um... hai. There is" he frowned.

"Oh." The smile vanished from Yukari's pretty face. "Would you tell me what it is?" Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Don't you want to... make love with me?"

Her young man stared down at his feet. "I _do_ , my princess. So very much! But..."

"How about we sit together on the sofa and you tell me what's troubling you. Would you do that for me?"

"Ok." He followed his girlfriend around the coffee table and sat down beside her. "I'm not sure if I can... go through with this" he murmured, dejected to be disappointing the girl he worshipped with every fiber of his mind, heart and soul.

"Why not? You don't have to sleep with me if you don't want to, my Ryoto. I hope you don't think I'm pressuring you too much." Yukari searched his eyes for an answer, her heart beginning to ache. "Is it because you... don't love me enough?"

Ryoto firmly shook his head. "That definitely isn't the reason, my sweet. Not at all! I'm madly, hopelessly in love with you, Yukari. Ever since we met at that shore party, I knew without any doubt that you were my one and only soulmate. I want more than anything else in the whole world to be with you. Not just this week, but forever more."

Yukari's bright smile instantly reappeared. "That almost sounded like a proposal, my Ryoto!"

"Not an official one yet, but it will happen" he promised. "I do want to marry you, Akiyama Yukari. I can only hope that someday soon when I can ask you properly, you'll find it in your heart to accept."

"I already have my answer ready" his girl replied. "And it will be yes." She exclaimed, "So if we're getting married someday... what's the problem?"

Ryoto again averted his gaze, this time towards the Panzer model on top of the piano. A deep blush of embarrassment reddened his cheeks. "The problem is... I'm really scared that I'll disappoint you by not being... a very good lover. That I won't be able to pleasure you the way you expect me to" he confessed. "The way I should."

"My darling, just being here to enjoy this week with you has already made me so incredibly happy. Please don't be afraid about not knowing what happens next. I know how much you care for me, and if we let our hearts guide us, the ocean of love we share will make every moment absolutely wonderful. I know it will!"

Ryoto smiled hopefully at his beloved. "You sound so sure, my darling."

"That's because I _am_ sure." Yukari slid closer to him until their bodies snugly touched. "Yesterday I had a private talk with Ami, and asked her about her first night with Ryo. Nothing _too_ personal though! I was just curious if it was as incredible an experience as Minako promised us it would be. Ami said that her boyfriend was really shy and nervous at first, just like you're feeling now. But it didn't matter because he followed his heart instead of his doubts and they shared their first unforgettable night of ecstacy together." She giggled, "And since you and her Ryo are nearly identical, that's how I know it'll be the same for us."

"Hontou?" The still-nervous boy gave his girlfriend another shy smile, once more becoming captivated by her glimmering love-filled dark brown eyes. Ryoto gently brought his lips to hers in a sweet, tender kiss that made both of their teenage hearts overflow with love and desire.

"Then... I'll try my very best to please you and make you happy, my beautiful princess."

"I'm very sure you will." Yukari reached out her slender fingers and slowly began unbuttoning his white shirt. She softly spoke, yearning to experience the ultimate act of love and passion with her young man, "How about we make the most of this wonderful opportunity Usagi gave us, my Ryoto. Let's become lovers tonight."

Ryoto's shy smile was accompanied by a single spoken word. "Hai."

. . . . .


	11. Daybreak in Nerima

**Chapter 11: Daybreak in Nerima**

The skies above Nerima were still twinkling with the light of a thousand stars when Nishizumi Miho awoke, with only the presence of a low westerly crescent moon bathing Makoto's house with its soft silvery glow. Miho's faint sigh of utter contentment became the only sound within the old home's master bedroom.

Enjoying the warmth of the handsome boy sleeping by her side, she snuggled even more closely against her Yusei beneath the single sheet that covered the two teenage lovers. The brown-haired girl reached to gently caress his cheek with her fingertips, smiling lovingly at the young man she adored, the boy who had intimately joined with her uncountable times that night to passionately share their love in their single bed near the window.

Eventually, she decided to freshen up before he awoke and slipped silently from the bed to pull on the pink robe she had bought. As quietly as she could, Miho opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit deserted hallway, walking towards the upstairs bathroom. After she entered it, Miho heard another door creak open and footsteps approach.

Takebe Saori soon appeared at the open door in her turquoise robe, startled for a moment by her commander's shadow.

"Oh! It's you, Miho!" the ginger-haired girl gasped. "You're already here! If you need a few minutes, I can wait in the hall. I just wanted to freshen up a little and fix my hair."

"That's why I'm up too" Miho whispered. "Come on in so we can close the door."

"Hai!"

The two girls stood in darkness for a few moments until Miho found and flipped on the light switch. They both blinked, allowing their eyes to adjust to the sudden bright glare illuminating the bathroom.

"Miporin, do you know what I see?" Saori giggled. "I see the face of a _very_ happy girl!"

"I do too!" Miho smiled brightly, immediately spotting the unmistakable glow of complete contentment on her friend's cheeks. She murmured, "Minako definitely wasn't exaggerating when she described the pleasures of Phase Three to us, was she?"

"I'll say she wasn't! And to think the night isn't over yet!" The Anglerfish radio operator kept her voice low. "My Yosuke is still fast asleep, but when he wakes up, the sweet ecstacy he gave me so often will be happening again! I can't wait!"

"Hai. We're both thinking the exact same thing" Miho giggled. "And doing it! It's no wonder our guys are so tired!"

"It isn't just us. I'm sure the other girls will have completely exhausted their boyfriends too!" Saori mused, "Care to guess when Mako and Toshiro will be getting up? We probably won't see them until at least eleven!" she laughed, stepping over to the sink. She turned on the faucet and moistened a green facecloth with cool water. "By the way... remember how Makoto warned us that the walls between the bedrooms in her house are kinda thin and not very soundproof? I could hear Hana and Masaru before I fell asleep. They were really going at it!"

"Whatever you do, don't tell them you overheard anything" her school's Sensha-do commander grinned. "They'll be really embarrassed if they knew!" She pondered, "I wonder how long we'll have to wait before we can go downstairs in the morning? Yukari's signal broom is still in the hallway."

"Hai, I noticed it too. But I don't think it'll be too much longer, Miho. Yukari and Ryoto are so timid and shy, they'll probably be the first couple to get up when the sun rises-" Saori abruptly stopped in mid-sentence as a first faint sound reached the girls' ears, then another. "Do you hear that?" she softly hissed. "It's coming from downstairs!"

The curious ginger-haired girl found herself unable to resist easing the bathroom door open ever so slightly, and the two teens stared at each other wide-eyed as they heard repeated faint moans of passion from the living room below.

The moans quickly became more frequent, soon changing to gasps of pleasure and words spoken breathlessly in the heat of passion by none other than Akiyama Yukari and her boyfriend Uehara Ryoto.

"Ohh...! Ohh _yes_ , my Ryoto! Ohhh... do it! That's it! Hai! Pump it _hard!_ Ravish me again, my lover! _Ohhh!"_

_"I love you, my princess!"_

With her face crimson, Saori quickly pulled the door closed. "Well! We know our Panzer's loader and her lover boy are certainly having lots of fun tonight, Miporin!"

The Anglerfish commander hastily covered her mouth to muffle the giggle that escaped her lips. "Saori, we can't leave the bathroom for a while yet! We may interrupt them!"

"Isn't it always the shy ones?" the radio operator snickered back. "If they get much louder, everyone in the house will hear them. They may even wake Mako up!"

"Hai. And if we have to listen to much more of this" Miho replied, "I'm going to need that paper fan Makoto loaned me. Or better still, a cigarette!" she laughed.

"You and me both, Miporin!"

The two sixteen-year-olds stood grinning at each other, cupping their hands over their ears as the passion below them intensified.

. . . . .

Fifteen minutes later, the two trapped teens made their stealthy escape from the upstairs bathroom after the living room had again become relatively silent. Miho and Saori tiptoed back to their rooms to rejoin their still-sleeping boyfriends just as the first golden rays of a rising sun began to brighten the pale-blue morning sky.

. . . . .

At ten that morning, with the sun beaming down through a sky of cloudless blue, Miho told her boyfriend, "Let me check to see if the broom is still there, my Yusei" She opened her door and peered down the hall, finding the passageway unobstructed. "All clear, darling. Would you like a coffee?"

"I think I would" her young man smiled as he finished buttoning his shirt. "So... uh... did you enjoy your night with me? I hope I didn't disappoint you in any way."

"Disappoint me?" Miho walked over to her lover and slipped her arms around him, placing a tender kiss upon his lips. "Last night was _incredible_ , my darling" his girl purred. " _You_ were incredible. In every way imaginable."

Holding hands, they left their bedroom and strolled down the curved wooden staircase to find Yukari and Ryoto together on the sofa, the curly-haired girl sitting sideways on her boyfriend's lap with an arm around his shoulders, their smiling faces aglow with joy.

"Ohayo gosaimasu, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari blurted. "Hi, Yusei-san!"

"Ohayou!" Miho answered, trying her hardest not to giggle as she remembered what she and Saori had overheard a few hours before. "Were you comfortable sleeping down here on the sofa?"

"Very comfortable! But we didn't sleep much!" her female friend grinned. "Something tells me you didn't either!"

"Not... too much" Miho admitted with a blush. "Is anyone else up?"

"Hai. Hana and Masaru are in the kitchen making coffee for everyone. No one else is up yet." The curly-haired girl chuckled, "I could fix that if I had my bugle!"

"Somehow I don't think your bugle would be very appreciated this week, Yukari!" Miho laughed. She sat on the other end of the sofa with Yusei, asking the other couple, "Any special plans for today?"

"I'd like to borrow Minako's car for a few hours and take my lover boy on a visit to the Yūshūkan Military Museum. Did you know that Ryoto has a model tank collection too?" she exclaimed. "With one of every tank Ooarai has. Even a Panzer IV he painted to look just like ours!"

"I don't have a model of _every_ tank at your school, sweetheart" Ryoto confessed. "There's still no Tiger P in my collection."

"Maybe that's a good thing, my love." Yukari laughed, "I bet even a _model_ of a Tiger P would somehow find a way to catch on fire!"

"There's still another reason why you two make the perfect couple" her commander smiled. "That museum is in Chiyoda, isn't it? Not exactly a short trip from here."

"It won't take too long to travel there and back, Nishizumi-dono. I love putting the pedal to the metal!" Yukari continued, "And after we return, we'll be getting dressed up and going out to dinner with you and Yusei."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me about that. I still need to make reservations for us at Gensobanonaka. Usagi told me she and Mamoru have dined there several times, and the cuisine and atmosphere are excellent."

"Could you arrange a private booth for Ryoto and me? I really want to try something Minako told us about in one of her lectures."

"Hontou? Perhaps there's a little... footsie on the menu tonight, Yukari?" Miho coyly suggested.

"Hai!" her loader nodded happily. "But only if there's enough privacy." She giggled, "I hope that restaurant has those really long tablecloths!"

"Footsie? What's that, my sweet?' Ryoto puzzled.

Yukari playfully planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "You'll find out this evening, lover" she giggled again.

"Ok! Two of the restaurant's most private booths they have available, coming up!" Miho agreed. She greeted the other happy couple who then strolled into the living room, with Masaru carrying a full urn of steaming coffee and Hana a tray of cups. "Ohayou!"

"Good morning! Minna, enjoy some delicious hot coffee" Hana offered. "A fragrant and tasty little wake-me-up to start our new day!"

Saori's bubbly voice spoke from the stairway, "Save two cups for my boyfriend, please! He's still feeling real drowsy this morning."

Watching her ginger-haired friend carefully guide Yosuke downstairs, Hana innocently teased her classmate, "Saori, I wonder what could _possibly_ be the reason why?"

. . . . .


	12. Boy Talk vs Girl Talk

**Chapter 12: Boy Talk vs Girl Talk**

"Do you have the map, my love?"

Ryoto nodded, "Right here in my pocket, my beautiful princess. I'm really looking forward to seeing that famous museum's exhibits. And with you by my side as my resident expert on all things tank-related, I'm sure to learn lots more about them, sweetheart."

"You're flattering me again! And I love it!" Yukari kissed his cheek, collected the car keys from the coffee table and took her boyfriend's hand in hers. "Then let's get our wheels spinning, Ryoto. It's nearly eleven now, and we should try to be back at the house by three to leave us plenty of time to get ready for our romantic dinner together. I'll soon find out just how fast Minako's car can _really_ go!"

Sitting on the sofa between her boyfriend and Miho, Saori leaned to whisper in her commander's ear, "Minako's car isn't the only thing Yukari will be driving hard this week, Miporin! Remember what we overheard in the bathroom last night?"

"I'll never forget it" Miho murmured. "Have fun at the museum!" she smiled brightly at her departing friends.

"We will, Nishizumi-dono!" Just after her team's loader and her boyfriend had left the house, Hana spied another couple walking downstairs together. "Minna, Mako and Toshiro are finally up."

"Exactly when I predicted they would be" Saori grinned at Miho. "Konnichiwa! You're looking very well rested today, Mako. Then again, you should be after sleeping so late in the day."

The team's driver gave the young man beside her a knowing smile before replying, "We weren't sleeping late, Saori. In fact, we've been wide awake for hours." She added, "And without any help from Yukari's evil bugle this time."

"It _is_ a miracle!" the ginger-haired girl gasped. "Toshiro, how _did_ you do it?"

The sixteen-year-old boy blushed, "Well... um... you know..."

Mako led her boyfriend over to the armchair beside the fireplace and settled comfortably onto his lap. "He did it by giving me a good reason to wake up early, Saori. Actually, plenty of _very_ good reasons" she smiled sweetly at her handsome young lover.

Miho giggled, "Makoto was right. Her house really _is_ full of Minakos!"

"Does that include you, Miporin?" Saori grinned at the Anglerfish commander.

"Me? Hai! _Of course_ it... does..." The brown-haired girl's face abruptly flushed red. "Uh... I mean..."

"We know exactly what you meant!" her Panzer's radio operator laughed, reddening Miho's cheeks even more.

Miho quickly changed the subject. "Ok... then... minna, how about breakfast? It's my turn to make it today, so who'd like to volunteer to help me in the kitchen?"

"Your ever-faithful assistant is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand, darling" Yusei spoke. "Though I'm not very accomplished at cooking, I'll give it my best shot."

"I think I just lost my appetite" Masaru groaned. He told the girls, "Minna, I should tell you about the long weekend the five of us guys spent at Ooarai Campsite a couple of months ago. Yusei tried to make pancakes our first morning there, and it's not an exaggeration to say... they didn't turn out very well."

Miho's boyfriend grinned, "I admit they came out a little dark."

"A little dark? More like pitch black!" Masaru laughed. "They were tough as rubber too! I snapped a plastic knife in half trying to cut into mine! If Ryoto hadn't brought along that huge box of granola bars in his backpack, we would've all starved to death."

"At least I wasn't the guy in charge of putting up that big tent we rented" Yusei retorted, playfully teasing his close friend. "That was _your_ job, Masaru!"

"Oh?" Hana giggled. "What happened to your tent, sweetheart?"

"It... uh... fell down in the middle of the night" her boyfriend confessed. "And we nearly suffocated trying to crawl out from under it in the dark."

"Completely flattened by a gentle breeze" Toshiro added with a grin.

"Boys!" Saori snickered. "How could they ever survive in life without help from us girls?" She snuggled closer to her Yosuke. "But there is at least _one_ thing they're really good at. Isn't that right, Miho?"

"Hai! Absolutely!" her commander exclaimed a touch too hastily. "I mean... _Oh!_ I've done it again!"

"Miho-san, you should try not to blush so often" Mako murmured. "It may become a permanent condition."

. . . . .

After enjoying a surprisingly edible breakfast, the couples decided on taking a walk together in the warm early-afternoon sunshine.

"This is such a scenic and peaceful place to live" Miho sighed happily at her boyfriend as they lead the group, strolling along the two-lane road. "Makoto was very fortunate to inherit her big beautiful house out here in the countryside. Even though she usually only spends weekends and school vacation time here."

"Hai" Saori spoke from behind her. "So much open space, too. Miho, this would make for a really great Sensha-do practice area. It's a shame our friends can't enjoy the feminine art in this dimension."

"I guess we're all very fortunate... in our own unique way" Hana added. "It makes me wonder how many other dimensions there are, and what wonders they hold. But in this one, Usagi and the girls are Sailor Senshi, which is something so incredible, ordinary schoolgirls like us can only dream about what it must be like."

"I'm glad you mentioned that, my love" Masaru said. "It's hard to wrap my head around the idea that they're genuine superheroes in this world. Or that Usagi will someday become a real Queen, and rule over the entire planet from Tokyo. It boggles the mind."

"You just gave me an idea, Masaru!" Miho exclaimed. "We should think of an appropriate way to thank Usagi for making this wonderful holiday possible. And especially" she smiled at her boyfriend, "for her and Minako bringing us together with our guys."

"A party? Next weekend?" Saori suggested. "I'm so into that, Miporin!"

"I am too, Miho-san" Mako agreed. "As long as we have it in the evening."

"Why so late, Mako? Are you and Toshiro planning on getting up at eleven every single day we're here?" her ginger-haired friend teased. "You'll both sleep half your holiday away if you do that."

"Nani? Who said we'll be sleeping?"

. . . . .

As the hands on the living room wall clock neared two forty-five, Aino Minako's orange Toyota came speeding down the deserted road west of Nerima, its gas pedal still pressed hard against the floor by the curly-haired teenage girl at the wheel. After slowing down and pulling to a stop in the driveway, Yukari turned off its wheezing, scorching-hot engine while Ryoto hurried around the small hatchback and swung the driver's door open with a flourish. "We're back on time and our romantic dinner awaits, my princess! I really enjoyed our museum trip, even though they only had two tanks on display."

"I did too, darling!" Yukari giggled as she left the driver's seat, gesturing at the door he held, "You're spoiling me so much every time you do that for me, I may forget how to open the loader's hatch on my Panzer IV!"

The young couple shared a deep, deliciously lengthy kiss before rejoining their friends. As they walked up the steps to the front door, Yukari softly squeezed Ryoto's hand. "I never had the chance to get all dressed up for our other restaurant dinners. I hope you like what you see, my Ryoto."

The young man's eyes gazed into hers, shimmering with boundless love. "I already do. Whenever I look at you, I see the most stunningly beautiful girl in all the world."

"Which world, my Ryoto?" Yukari coyly asked him. "This one... or ours?"

He smiled, "Both."

His girlfriend stopped on the top step and flung her arms around him, kissing him again even more passionately than before. "I love you so!"

"And I love you, my princess. And my soulmate, and my tank expert, and..." he added with a shy blush, "...my lover."

"Hai" Yukari whispered. "Your lover. Just as you are mine."

. . . . .

Sometime later, Ryoto and Yusei stood in adjoining upstairs bedrooms, dressing themselves in their new suits. "Is my tie straight?" Yusei asked the boy in the room with him.

"Looks fine to me" his older brother nodded. "Put on your jacket and you'll be all set. You do look like a perfect gentleman" he grinned. "Or as much as any brother can."

"I hope Miho thinks so" Yusei smiled. "How are our girls doing?"

"Last time I checked, Saori told me they need another half-hour. They're letting their nail polish dry." Toshiro chuckled, "The ladies always need more time than us, Yusei. They have lots more to do."

"Hai. That was covered in the book."

"Chapter four" the other teen said. "Don't forget, you and Ryoto are supposed to wait here until your girls are downstairs with their shoes on and ready to go."

"Got it."

. . . . .

On the other side of the thin bedroom wall, Ryoto had also nearly completed his transformation from a typical teenage high school student into what he hoped Yukari would find much more visually pleasing.

He slipped an arm down his jacket's sleeve and finished pulling it on. "That's it, Yosuke. This is the best-dressed I've ever been in my life. How do I look?"

"Fine... except for one small detail" Yosuke grinned. "The price tag is still attached to your pants."

"Nani? Oops! Thanks for catching that!" Ryoto removed the tag and set it aside. "What are your plans for dinner tonight?"

"Masaru is already hard at work in the kitchen. We'll pitch in after you leave." He laughed, "I don't know what he's making yet but it's bound to be _way_ better than Yusei's infamous pancakes!"

. . . . .

In the master bedroom, Nishizumi Miho and Akiyama Yukari sat on a single bed each, wearing their gowns and being fussed over by their three female classmates. "Give your nail polish a couple more minutes to dry" Saori told them. "Then you can apply your lipstick. That's a really nice shade of red Rei gave you, Miho. And Ami's favorite shade is perfect for you too, Yukari. It compliments your pastel pink gown perfectly!" She boasted, "In my not-so-humble opinion!"

"You're sounding more and more like Minako every day, Saori" Miho giggled. She fretted, "Are we still on time?"

"Your reservations aren't for another forty-five minutes, Miho" Hana reassured her. "You'll be ready with plenty of time to spare."

"Don't forget to bring your purses" Mako murmured. "It would be rather embarrassing if you or your boyfriends forgot to bring enough money to pay for your dinners."

"Hai, our purses!" Miho exclaimed. "I'll need my driver's license anyway, a place for the car keys, and I'll bring the lipstick along in case I need to freshen up. Hmm... anything else...?"

"Don't forget your cigarettes, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari reminded her. She grinned expectantly at her commander, "Are you going to try doing that thing Minako mentioned in one of her lectures, where you exhale smoke in your boyfriend's face? She said it was guaranteed to turn him on."

"I was thinking about it, Yukari. Sure, why not?" Miho decided. She giggled, "Oh, good luck on that footsie idea with Ryoto. Remember what Minako said, try not to overdo it!"

"If I smoked, I'd try both tonight!" Yukari laughed. "I'm sure _your_ tease will work on Yusei, Nishizumi-dono. You always look so elegant and feminine when you have a cigarette."

"I do?" her commander puzzled.

"Mako doesn't smoke because she's worried she'd fall asleep and start a fire" Saori mused. "And Hana doesn't want anything to affect her crazy-good sense of smell with flowers. I'm curious... why don't you smoke, Yukari?"

"I'd like to try it but my parents told me I have to meet three conditions before they think I'm mature enough to, Saori. The first is that I have to be at least sixteen."

"You _are_ sixteen... so what's their second condition?"

"I need to have good grades in school."

"You're always in the top six in your class, so that isn't a problem. And the third?" the ginger-haired girl pressed.

"That I have a steady boyfriend first." Yukari's eyes suddenly widened. "I meet _all_ of those conditions now!" she gasped. "Nishizumi-dono, would you teach me how?"

"To smoke? Sure, if you really want to learn. But there isn't enough time today, Yukari. How about... tomorrow?"

"Hai! Arigatou!" the curly-haired girl beamed. "Though I _will_ ask my Ryoto first, just to make sure he doesn't mind."

"I'm sure he won't mind at all" Saori reassured her friend. "Your boyfriend is just like Ryo, and _he_ doesn't mind that Ami likes to smoke. Actually, I think he enjoys secretly watching her."

"The physical similarities between our guys and our friends' fiancees _are_ rather striking" Mako remarked. "I have to wonder if they're similar in certain other ways too."

"Like... in bed?" Saori giggled.

"That thought did cross my mind" the Anglerfish driver smiled. "After hearing so many tales from the girls about Minako and Taro, and knowing what my Toshiro is like when we're intimate together... I'm inclined to believe they are."

"Hontou? Are we going to have wild stories to tell about you and Toshiro, Mako?"

"In time, perhaps you will, Saori" she smiled. "Perhaps you will."

Yukari couldn't resist repeating Makoto's comment from the previous day, just as Miho had earlier that morning. "Minna, this house _is_ full of Minakos!"

. . . . .


	13. Dining Out, in the Aino Minako Style

**Chapter 13: Dining Out, in the Aino Minako Style**

Saori strode up to the wall between two closed bedroom doors and sharply rapped her knuckles against it. "Ok guys! You can come out now!"

Both doors immediately swung open, revealing Yusei and Ryoto smartly dressed in their new suits. "Ohh! Looking really sharp! Just like movie stars!" Saori exclaimed. They descended the stairs behind the ginger-haired girl, searching anxiously for their soulmates.

"Where are our girlfriends, Saori?" Yusei asked. "I don't see them anywhere."

"They're waiting in the kitchen to make their grand entrance. I'll call them." Saori raised her voice for dramatic effect and pronounced, "Guys, it's my pleasure to _reintroduce_ you to Nishizumi Miho and Akiyama Yukari!"

"This is their ausf.B versions" Hana giggled from the sofa.

The young Ooarai males stood waiting in eager anticipation, instantly becoming wide-eyed and awestruck as two teenage visions of loveliness emerged from the kitchen passageway. Flowing pale blue and soft pink evening gowns followed Miho and Yukari's' soft feminine curves to perfection, with their matching stiletto heels and immaculately-colored fingernails adding even more feminine accents to their elegant appearance.

Both boys uttered the names of their respective girlfriends with sharp gasps of astonishment.

" _Miho darling!"_

" _My Yukari!"_

"I think our guys approve of our new look, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari giggled.

Miho gazed at the love of her life in his dark blue three-piece flannel suit. "And I like what _I_ see too! A whole lot!"

"Hai, me too!" her loader beamed at her boyfriend. "You're so handsome in your suit, my Ryoto! Please hold me close!"

A moment later the two girls were tenderly embracing their boyfriends at the center of the living room as their friends looked on from the sofa.

"Miho my love... you are absolutely _stunning_ tonight" Yusei reverently spoke. "A true goddess."

"Hontou?" his girlfriend giggled. "I'm so glad you approve, darling!"

"You look even _more_ like a princess in that gown, my sweet" Ryoto softly murmured to his girl. "You're taking my breath away."

"I'm _your_ princess, Ryoto" Yukari smiled at her young man. "Yours and yours alone."

"Minna, don't they make the _perfect_ couples?" Saori exclaimed. She sniffled, "I think I'm going to cry!"

"Perhaps you should save some of those tears for their wedding day, Saori" Mako teased her friend. "This is, after all, just a dinner date."

"Hai! I just need a second to compose myself." She smiled at Yosuke and kissed his cheek. "Soon it'll be _our_ turn to go out to our romantic dinner, darling. I hope I look even half as good as Miho and Yukari do tonight."

"I have absolutely no doubt that you will, sweetheart. None at all."

Mako walked over to the couples, handing both girls their purses. "Have a wonderful fun evening together."

'We certainly will, Mako!" her commander exclaimed. She thanked her friends, "Arigatou, minna. You helped make this moment extra special for all four of us."

Hana glanced up at the wall clock. "Your reservation in Nerima is ten minutes from now, Miho. Enjoy your dinner, and don't forget the rest of us will be dancing when you get back to the house. You should join us."

"Unless you want to skip that part of your evening and go directly upstairs!" Saori teased. "We probably will when it's Yosuke's and my turn!"

The Anglerfish commander took her boyfriend's hand in hers, the couple's fingers intertwining. "Would you escort our friends and me to the car, my Yusei?"

Her boyfriend lovingly replied, "But of course, sweetheart."

Yukari fretted, "We'd better hurry or we'll be late, Nishizumi-dono."

"Don't worry, Yukari" Miho turned to smile reassuringly at her friend. "With my new shoe on the pedal, we'll arrive at the restaurant with time to spare."

. . . . .

After a brief, breathtakingly brisk drive to the upscale establishment, the two couples were quickly escorted to their reserved private rooms. The boys politely held their girlfriends' padded chairs for them until they were comfortably seated, and the tuxedo-clad maître d bowed deeply to each couple before he left, wishing them 'bon appêtit' before sliding a silk privacy curtain across both entrances.

"Usagi described the atmosphere here perfectly, my love" Miho remarked. "It's the very picture of luxury and opulance!" She noticed that the wall seperating her room from Yukari's was inlaid with a long rectangular stained-glass window, leaving a clear area just large enough to see the other couple. Yukari and Ryoto waved happily at her and her boyfriend, with Miho giggling and she and her young man returning the wave.

Yukari suddenly left her seat, hurried from her room and poked her head around one side of the closed curtain. "Nishizumi-dono, I just thought of something. If you'd like to have a glass of wine with dinner, please don't worry about getting behind the wheel afterwards. I'm only drinking coffee tonight, so I can drive us home."

"You wouldn't mind? That's so very kind of you, Yukari. Arigatou!"

"My pleasure!" The curly-haired girl scurried back to her seat shortly before a server arrived with their menus, happily noticing that her boyfriend was still spellbound by her appearance.

"I guess I look a lot better tonight than I do in an Ooarai school fuku, my Ryoto."

"More elegant... most definitely" he agreed with a bright smile. "But better? That would be impossible, my princess. To me, you were already perfect in every way. And nothing can improve on perfection."

Yukari's reply was spoken not with words, but by her shimmering lovestruck eyes.

. . . . .

An hour later, after they had finished the final main course of their sumptuous meal, Miho and Yusei perused their dessert menus. "Usagi said this was always her favorite part of her dinners here" Miho spoke. "And seeing the pictures in this menu I can understand why. Everything looks so deliciously decadent! But... I honestly don't think I can eat another bite."

"Hai" Yusei nodded, setting his menu down. "It'd probably be best for me to skip dessert tonight too. These new pants are already feeling a touch snug after that fantastic meal."

"They are?" his girlfriend coyly asked. "Where?"

"The waistband is a little tight... oh!" he grinned. "You were thinking of... uh... somewhere else, weren't you?"

Miho surprised herself with her uncharacteristic boldness. "I was. A little lower than the waist, to be more precise."

Blushing at her own suggestive reply, she stole a glance through the dividing window seperating the two rooms, at just the right moment to see Yukari smile coyly at Ryoto and raise her right foot, extending her leg and slowly positioning the sole of her stiletto shoe high up in the gap between her boyfriend's knees. Miho quickly turned her head away, allowing her friends more privacy.

Deciding the time was right to try Minako's advice for her own tease, Miho reached into her purse and extracted her pink lighter, placing it on the table between her and Yusei. Trying to appear as sexy and alluring as she possibly could, she slowly slipped a cigarette from its pack, cradling the long slender white cylinder between two fingers with its filter poised expectantly near her soft red lips.

"Would you, darling?" she purred.

"Of course, my love." Her smiling boyfriend took the cue, happily lighting her cigarette for her.

"Arigatou, lover."

Yusei found himself strangely captivated by the sight of his beloved as he watched her smile at him, then inhale.

. . . . .

In the other private room, Yukari eased her foot away, grinning at the wide-eyed expression her boyfriend now wore. "Did you like that, lover?"

"Hai. Very _very_ much" he blushed. "Yukari honey, that was so hot! You really know how to turn a guy on!"

"I thought you'd enjoy it. I did too!" she giggled, thinking 'Minako was even right about footsie!' The Anglerfish loader again briefly glanced through the window, watching her Sensha-do commander finish her tease with a slow, sensuous exhale in her boyfriend's face, causing Yusei to promptly snatch his napkin from the table and drop it onto the prominent bulge beneath the zipper of his pants.

Yukari turned away from the glass, giggling.

"Is something funny happening in the other room, my love?"

"I wouldn't call it funny, Ryoto. I guess one way to describe it would be..." she giggled again, "... my Panzer's commander just employed another fun tactic to elevate her boyfriend's gun into firing position!"

. . . . .

Miho smiled, "Hiding something, my Yusei?"

"Uh... hai" her boyfriend blushed. "My pants are even tighter now. Below the waist this time." Yusei murmured, "Miho my love, that was so _incredibly_ erotic-" He quickly became silent, blushing even more deeply when their server abruptly reappeared at their table and bowed to them.

"Have you decided on dessert?" the young woman asked the couple. "Our signature dish, Japanese cheesecake, is always highly recommended by our regular patrons."

"I think we'll both pass on dessert tonight" Miho spoke after sipping her wine. "But would you mind refilling my lover's coffee? He's nearly out."

"Certainly, madam. I'll be back in a moment with a fresh pot."

After the server had bowed and left, Yusei gasped _, "Do you think she noticed?"_

. . . . .


	14. Study Session

**Chapter 14: Study Session**

The couples' server walked back to the kitchen entrance, meeting an employee who she was friends with carrying a tray of appetizers to one of her assigned tables. "Kahori-san!" she grinned. You'll never guess what I just walked in on in Room One!"

"More juicy gossip, Masayo-san?" Kahori giggled. "Let's hear it!"

"The young lady in there was teasing her cute guy with her cigarette, and he tried hiding his... shall we say... rather _substantial_ turn-on under a napkin. Something tells me _they'll_ be having lots of fun tonight!"

"I've seen that before. And a whole lot more, too. There's this blonde girl I've served a few times this year, who always wears a red bow in her hair. You wouldn't _believe_ the things she does to turn her guy on!"

"Hontou? Tell me all about it after you drop off those appetizers, ok?"

"Hai. But we'll need to talk somewhere private. If the manager overhears what I'm saying, I could lose my job!"

Masayo laughed as she entered the kitchen and stepped over to the coffee machine, "I _love_ working here!"

. . . . .

At that same moment, at a low rectangular table inside the Hikawa Jinja in Tokyo's Minato ward, the blonde in question breathed a deep sigh as she reluctantly opened her chemistry textbook.

"Something wrong, Minako-chan?" Rei asked the unhappy girl.

"I miss my love muffin so much."

"You'll see Taro again tomorrow. At least for a couple of hours." Seated at one end of the study table, Rei also flipped open her copy of the book. "You really should learn how to be more patient, Minako-chan."

"Hmph! That's easy for _you_ to say, Rei-chan! You never have to wait even one day to be intimate with Yuuichirou. You're so lucky!"

"Patience _is_ a virtue, Minako-chan" Ami murmured from her usual spot across the table from the blonde, where she sat close beside her fiancee.

"And you and your lover boy have it even better than she does, Ami-chan! Your mother always works late during the week, so you two have even more freedom than Rei and Yuuichirou do. Always acting like you're already married, staying up half the night making crazy-wild love-love together until the crows come home! While I'm stuck sleeping alone in a cold empty bed without my Taro to pleasure me. Life isn't fair!"

" _Crows?"_ Makoto muttered.

"Minako-chan, what my Ryo-kun and I do together in my bedroom at night is a very personal matter!" the blue-haired girl blushed.

"Deal with it, Minako-chan" her future sister-in-law grumbled. "I miss my Yuji too, you know." The tall brunette mused, "I wonder how the week is going so far for our Ooarai friends?"

"I'll tell you exactly how it's going, Mako-chan. A lot better than it is for you and me tonight, that's for sure!" Minako glared evilly at her chemistry book. "What chapter are we on?"

"Twelve."

" _Twelve?"_ Usagi blurted from behind a large half-empty bag of shrimp-flavored chips. "Ohh! Here I am, wasting my valuable time reading chapter eleven twice!"

"Baka" the miko snickered. "We covered that section last week. Have you been sitting in class in a coma again, Usagi-chan?"

"Shut up, Rei-chan!" Usagi scowled, "You know something? The thing I miss most of all about Sensha-do is that I can't hear you always picking on me over the noise of our tank's engine."

"And that's another thing!" Minako continued her rant. "I love driving my Panzer, but when we're in the other dimension, I can't be intimate with my Taro! Why can't I enjoy both pleasures?"

"Both at the same time, knowing you" Makoto chuckled. She laughed, "There's a scary thought!"

"I want to drive my Panzer hard during the day, and drive my stud muffin even harder at night! That isn't too much for a girl to ask for, is it?"

"Minako-chan, try to think of your situation this way" Ami offered. "You know you'll be with Taro every weekend, but Miho and our Anglerfish friends don't have that luxury with their boyfriends. The last day they'll share together here is bound to be a very sad occasion, knowing their school ships will only occasionally be in port at the same time."

"Hai. It will" the blonde admitted, her frown growing deeper. "I wish there was some way they could spend a lot more time together in their dimension." She nudged Usagi with her elbow. "That's where future you comes in, Usagi-chan. You have to bring our happy couples back to Nerima as often as you possibly can. We need to keep their passion alive!"

"I know. I'll do my best, Minako-chan." She grumbled, "Having the girls and boys on separate school ships is a really bad idea. Even worse than my Mamo-chan always being so tied up at his evil university!"

"That's a good name for it" Makoto grinned. "The Evil University of Tokyo. Sounds like something Beryl would be the headmistress of."

"Well it is!" the odango-haired girl whined. "I _hate_ that horrible place!"

"We know" Rei glared at her. "You tell us that a million times a day."

"I wonder how long it'll be until we're back at Ooarai?" Makoto pondered. "I miss Sensha-do." The brunette caught everyone's attention when she added, "Miho told me something the other day that I forgot to mention. The people who run Japan's Sensha-do program are concerned that there isn't enough cross-training happening in any of the schools. So next time we're out practicing in our tanks, the commanders are supposed to experiment with changing up their crew assignments, giving everyone a chance to try something they've never done before."

Minako stared at her in stunned shock. "Nani? _Forget it, Mako-chan!_ I'm our Panzer's official driver and I'm staying right there where I belong! In the driver's seat!"

"It's just temporary, Minako-chan. Don't get your hair in a knot."

Ami looked up from her textbook. "Have you decided on our new crew positions, Mako-chan? I must admit I thoroughly enjoy being our gunner, but it's always good to learn a new skill."

"I was thinking on giving you the radio operator's job, Ami-chan. You already did some driving our first week at Ooarai. Minako can be our loader, and I'd like to try my hand at gunnery."

Rei immediately shook her head. "That won't work, Mako-chan. In fact, it'll be a complete disaster!" She grumbled, "If I drive, Usagi will be our Panzer's commander. Which means she'll have us buried up to the top of our turret in a swamp, or hopelessly lost in a forest, or something even worse. And if I take _your_ place..." the miko shuddered, "Odango atama over there will be our driver. At least we won't have to worry about losing a skirmish, because it'll take our Panzer the entire day just to arrive at the battlefield. Assuming we get there at all."

"Rei is right, Mako-chan!" Usagi gasped. "I don't know the first thing about how to change gears or use a clutch! And steering with those control sticks looks awfully complicated!"

"Does anyone have a better idea?" the brunette asked.

 _"I do!"_ Minako blurted, raising her hand. "Make _me_ the temporary commander, Mako-chan!" She giggled, "I'll look so _good_ standing in your turret thingy, with my beautiful long blonde hair flowing gracefully in the breeze as we charge into battle!"

" _You?"_ Rei exclaimed. "Making important life-or-death decisions in the heat of combat? Great. Our tank will be knocked out of action in two minutes flat. On second thought, make that one minute. And if Usagi is driving our Panzer, we'll be _crawling_ into battle, not charging. Like a turtle with three broken legs."

Ami giggled at Rei's gloomy prediction. "You may consider giving Usagi _my_ job, Mako-chan."

"I already thought about that, Ami-chan. I don't think Miho will be too happy if Usagi panics when the shells start flying and she starts randomly blasting the other tanks on our side."

"Assuming she can hit them" Rei scoffed. "That's highly unlikely, unless they park directly in front of our gun. And she'll probably still miss."

_"Be quiet, Miserable-chan! Ohh! You made me drop a chip on the floor! I can't eat that now!"_

Makoto told her distraught odango-haired friend, "You're going to have to learn how to drive our Panzer, Usagi-chan." She shrugged, "If Minako can do it, it can't be _that_ hard."

" _Hmph!"_ Minako scowled. "I make driving a tank look easy because I'm so incredibly talented at it! Just like everything else I do!"

Yuuichirou pushed open the room's sliding door and grinned as he strolled up to the table, "Hino-sensei was kind enough to give me a five minute break, so I thought I'd check up on your study session. How's it going?"

"Not well, after what I just heard" his fiancee muttered. "Luna team is doomed."

. . . . .

In the midst of the other dancing couples in the living room, Nishizumi Miho pressed herself wantonly against her boyfriend's warm, well-toned body as they slowly swayed to the music. "It'll soon be our second night together, my darling" she purred in his ear. "I can't wait to make love with you again."

"Yukari and Ryoto can't wait either" Yusei chuckled. "They've already gone upstairs."

"Oh, that's right! Yukari has her room back tonight. I'm sure the other couples can work out their sofa sleeping arrangements without my help, so... um... shall we, lover?"

"Definitely, my sweet." Yusei smiled at the brown-haired girl in his embrace. "I thought you'd never ask."

. . . . .


	15. Future Hopes

**Chapter 15: Future Hopes**

With her petite body still enveloped from head to toe in ecstacy from their latest act of total intimacy, Akiyama Yukari smiled at the boy who now rested his head beside hers on their shared pillow. Gazing upon his handsome face, illuminated by soft moonlight from beyond their bedroom window, she breathed a sigh of pure contentment. "Feeling sleepy, my Ryoto?"

Her young lover smiled back, murmuring, "Maybe just a little." He inched closer, bringing his lips to press against hers, both teens savoring the deliciousness of their deep, lingering kiss. "But I'm not ready to sleep just yet. Not until I please you when we share our love again, my princess."

"Hai" Yukari sighed, basking in the joy they had just experienced. "I always wondered why they call it making love. But now I know. Every time you pleasure me, it feels like my heart overflows more and more with love for you."

"My only wish is to be able to satisfy you in that sweet, special way for the rest of our lives, my darling. And in every other way too. Your happiness is now my only purpose in life, and everything I do, I'll do for you."

"I love you, my Ryoto." Yukari gently ran her fingers through his dark hair. She confessed, "You know, until recently I've lived a very lonely life. I never had any friends. I guess it was because I was always so into tanks that I scared everyone away."

"Hontou?"

"Hai. My parents were always worried that I'd end up living my whole life alone, with no one to care for me. No one to love me. But when Ooarai restarted Sensha-do and Miho and my other Anglerfish teammates accepted me into their group and became such close friends, I thought that things had finally turned around. The last two months have truly been the happiest days of my life." She smiled, "I honestly thought that things couldn't possibly get any better than that. But they did. They got _so_ much better, that night at St. Gloriana's shore party when I fell in love with you."

"I promise you'll never be lonely like that ever again, my Yukari" her young man vowed. "Not ever. No matter what happens in the future, even if you and the other Anglerfish girls go your separate ways after you graduate from high school, you'll always have me. I will love and cherish you with all my heart until the very end of time."

"You will? Honest?"

"Hai. I promise." He softly kissed her again. "This lovesick heart of mine wouldn't have it any other way."

. . . . .

At that same moment, two sixteen-year-old girls sat together on a bench in Tokyo's nearly deserted Juuban Park, watching moonlight sparkle and shimmer as it reflected off the placid waters of a nearby small lake.

"Still not sleepy, Minako-chan? It must be well past midnight by now, and we have classes first thing in the morning."

"No. Not sleepy at all, Mako-chan. I've got way too much on my mind."

"You're thinking about our Ooarai friends, aren't you?"

"Hai" the blonde nodded. "Mako-chan, I don't want to lose touch with them. Someday, probably when we and Miho and her Anglerfish team all graduate from high school, future Usagi will stop sending us to Ooarai. She'll have to. And then... we may never see them again." Minako's blue eyes became moist. "I'm not ready for that."

"Me neither" the brunette murmured. "We've all become so close... it's hard to imagine life without them."

"We can't let it happen" Minako stated. "I have no idea how, but there must be some way we can stay in touch. Even if it's only an occasional get-together thingy, like once every month for a few days, or... I don't know... something."

Makoto chuckled, "It'd be great to at least show up for their weddings. And invite them here for ours, too. I'd love to have Miho and the girls and their boyfriends be with us when Yuji and I finally tie the knot."

"If only there was an easier way to travel back and forth between our dimensions" the blonde mused. "Next time I cross paths with Setsuna, I'm going to ask her about it. Sailor Pluto did use her Time Gate to bring our Panzer to Nerima that one time, so there has to be some way she can help future Usagi keep our friendships alive."

"Maybe. But our tank was only here for an hour that day. And it isn't alive, Minako-chan. We are. That's the big difference."

"No it isn't!" the blonde insisted. "I know at least a few things about chemistry, and a tank and a person are both made of atoms. So the problem isn't about physically going to Miho's dimension, it's _where_ to go! Where they are! All we need to find out is where Miho and her team end up after they finish high school and leave the Zuikaku. And they already know where to find us! Maybe it won't be a problem after all!"

Makoto was relieved to hear her future-sister-in-law's mood brighten. "I hope you're right, Minako-chan. Now that you mention it, didn't Miho tell us that Sensha-do is practiced by girls in universities too? Maybe the Anglerfish crew will all go to the same university and stay together as a Sensha-do team. It's a long shot, but who knows? Stranger things have happened."

"Hai! And future Usagi can enroll us there too, just like she did at Ooarai Girls Academy! Mako-chan, you're a genius!"

"Nani? I've been called a lot of things in life but never _that_ before" the brunette grinned. "But it'll mean we'll still be attending two schools at the same time, just like we are now at Juuban and Ooarai. Our present Usagi won't like that idea at all!"

"You think not?" Minako laughed. "I honestly don't know if any of this is possible, but at least there's still some hope. And some is _always_ better than none, Mako-chan! Just like with love-love!" The blonde giggled as she reached into her purse for her cigarettes, "When it comes to love-love, lots is _way_ better than some!"

"I was wondering how long it would take you to bring that subject up" Makoto chuckled. "Because sooner or later, you always do." She waited until Minako was about to place a cigarette between her lips. "Can I have one too?"

" _You?"_ Minako exclaimed. " _You, Kino Makoto,_ want to _smoke?"_ She passed her unlit cigarette to her friend. "Have this one. Mine have a really strong taste, Mako-chan. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow and start with one of Rei's instead. Hers are a lot milder."

"Why wait?" She slid the orange lighter from her future sister-in-law's grasp and calmly lit her cigarette. The blonde watched in wide-eyed disbelief as the brunette took a drag, then inhale. Makoto tilted her head back, exhaling skyward. "These _are_ strong, Minako-chan. They're just like Ami's."

"Because they're the exact same as hers." Minako blurted, _"Mako-chan, why didn't you tell me you already smoke?"_

"That's because unlike you, I _can_ keep a secret when I want to" she grinned. "In case you were wondering, Ami showed me how about a month ago, after we got back from our first trip to Ooarai."

"Why that _sneaky little-"_

Makoto smiled, "I don't smoke very often, but I do enjoy having one after Yuji and I make love."

Minako sat staring at her friend in stunned shock. "I never imagined hearing _you_ tell me that. I'm at a complete loss for words, Mako-chan."

"You are? That's ok, Minako-chan. Like they say, there's a first time for everything."

. . . . .

In the master bedroom of Makoto's old house, Nishizumi Miho awoke from her slumber to find herself alone in the single bed she shared with Yusei. She sat up, her searching eyes soon spotting the silhouette of her boyfriend at the bedroom window, where Yusei stood quietly looking out at the moonlit green fields beyond. She clicked on the bedside light and slipped from beneath the sheets to join him there.

"How long have you been awake, darling?"

"Just a few minutes, sweetheart. I was thinking about what's going to happen after our holiday here is over." He reached out to gather his girl into his tender embrace. "Time is passing by so quickly. I don't want this week with you to ever end."

"Well... we still have at least four or five days until Usagi sends us back to our dimension. But you're absolutely right, my Yusei." Miho sighed wistfully, "It's going to be so very difficult to live without you, only being together with you for a few hours every now and then when our school ships make port calls."

"Difficult? It'll be utter torture, not having you with me" the boy sighed. "But I'll always wait for you. No matter how long it takes, because someday we won't have to live separate lives ever again."

"I'm waiting for that happy day too, my love."

"Miho my sweet, may I ask you something really important? It's about... our future together."

"Uh, sure!" she smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. "What is it?"

Yusei shyly spoke, "Will you... please... someday... marry me, Nishizumi Miho?"

The brown-haired girl gasped in joyful surprise, her pulse racing upon hearing her young man's sincere, heartfelt proposal. Miho's answer burst from her lips without a moment's hesitation.

"Yes, my Yusei! Yes I will!"

. . . . .

At the same time, in Tokyo's Minato ward...

"It's really chilly out here!"

Tsukino Usagi snugged her robe tighter to ward off the cool nighttime breeze, peering out across Tokyo's sprawling cityscape and the uncountable multitude of city lights surrounding the balcony of her fiancee's apartment. She stood watching the traffic below for a time, lost in thought, until she was startled by the gentle touch of a hand upon her shoulder.

"Oh! You're awake, Mamo-chan!"

Chiba Mamoru leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Doing a little stargazing, Usako?"

"I was heading to the kitchen for a late-night snack, but came out here instead. Isn't the city so pretty at night?"

"It certainly is. But nothing on planet Earth compares to the beauty of my one and only Moon Princess."

Usagi snuggled tightly against the robe covering her fiancee's chest. "Are you coming with us when we go to Mako-chan's house after school tomorrow?"

"Of course. It may be my last chance to chat with our wonderful new friends for a while, probably until you bring them here to visit us again. My class has another big assignment due, and I'll be very busy with-"

Usagi silenced her handsome Prince with a finger to his lips. "Sshh. I don't want to hear about it, Mamo-chan. Not tonight."

"Sumimasen, my love."

"Mamo-chan, do you think I've changed lately? After my trips to Ooarai, I mean."

"Are you referring to your participation in the feminine art of Sensha-do, by any chance?"

"Hai. It's supposed to make girls more confident and brave, among a bunch of other things. Did it do that for me?"

"What do _you_ think?"

"Well... at first I was scared to death of tanks, but now I like riding in them. The noise of their guns firing doesn't bother me anymore, and I learned a lot about teamwork and how to stay calm in battle. I even know how to use the complicated radio in Mako-chan's Panzer!"

"It sounds to me like you just answered your own question" Mamoru chuckled. "As for _my_ opinion, I believe it has helped your confidence improve. Quite a lot, in fact."

"So future me did the right thing?"

"Definitely. But not just for you and the Sailor Senshi, Usako. Your decision as Earth's future Queen to send your present-day selves to Ooarai also changed the lives of five girls and five boys. You and Minako made it possible for our friends to meet and fall in love, and that's an accomplishment you both should be very proud of."

"We did, didn't we?" Usagi giggled. She tipped her head further back, gazing upward at the rising crescent moon. "Maybe I really will make a good Queen someday after all."

. . . . . . . . . .


End file.
